All of the Little Things
by Mr Khan
Summary: The big war has been won: Yoruichi and Soi Fon are in a long-term relationship, but what of all the little things that every long-term relationship deals with? The sixth, and last, thing: Childbirth
1. 1 Sleeping Together

All of the Little Things

By Mr Khan

The First Thing: Sleeping Together

"Wake up."

"Mnmm."

"You are not a child and I am not your mother. That is not a valid response."

"Ungh, give me a break, it's only… 8 o'clock."

"Precisely. We have to be there in one hour. You know they're going to be punctual this year, just like every year."

"Send a hell butterfly, pull some strings. We have enough influence between us to delay something like this."

"That would be an abuse of our positions. I mean an abuse of _my_ position, you abandoned yours, even if they let you keep the name."

"And it was totally worth it, though I do miss it occasionally," Yoruichi said, laying her head back down on the pillow and smiling at Soi Fon. "The Princess of the Shihoin clan could have gotten them to delay the ceremony, even if the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido is unwilling to use her power that way. But can an ex-princess request just five more minutes?" Yoruichi asked, reaching under the covers to drape an arm around Soi Fon.

"I suppose," Soi Fon replied, smiling back at the only person who could hope to undermine her discipline. Soi moved over slightly, closer to the other woman's body heat and draped an arm over her as well.

It seemed that Yoruichi was determined to take full advantage of her five-minute reprieve, for the chocolate-skinned woman drifted immediately back to sleep. Soi Fon still envied that woman in many ways, having never quite mastered Yoruichi's gift for keeping her cool. Soi Fon was a bundle of nerves, having not slept properly all night as she watched the bedside clock wind its way down; today was an important day after all, one which would reflect her pride as a lifetime of work came full circle.

She looked at Yoruichi Shihoin, her one and only, co-author of today's significant event, and knew she had nothing to worry about. She had spent a long time with the woman, if not in body than (as during their 100-year separation) in spirit. And while their relationship had grown and changed drastically over the years, Yoruichi herself had not. She and Soi Fon both had the eternal life afforded by Soul Society nobility as well as by those with strong spiritual pressure, so for them age was literally only a state of mind. Yoruichi had aged, though not by much. To Soi Fon, it had seemed like Yoruichi had matured into stable adulthood, losing some (though not much) of the irrepressible wildness of youth, gaining perhaps a wrinkle or two around her eyes, but generally gaining a more mature attitude. The attitude shift was hard to tell, of course, because Yoruichi was still Yoruichi, but Soi Fon, who knew Yoruichi more intimately than any other, was firm in her conviction that the change was there.

Soi Fon had changed too, of course. Though she was still the more tightly-wound of the couple, Shaolin Fon was now vastly more comfortable with intimacy, both emotional and physical, than she had ever thought possible. It was odd, she thought, that being in bed together with her Yoruichi-sama could ever make her anything other than a nervous wreck. It did not seem that long ago that Soi Fon had been gripped with utmost anxiety over the prospect of sharing a bed with Yoruichi Shihoin.

~~0000~~

"One for theatre number 3," Soi Fon said brusquely. Not even bothering to glance at her, the box-office clerk snapped a ticket off of the wheel and handed it to her, taking the coins she offered in return. Soi Fon then stepped through the doors into the movie theatre.

Soi Fon was not one to go to movie theatres often, that is to say she did not like to go at all unless Yoruichi dragged her there, but she could tell that this establishment was different than most others of its kind in Soul Society. The art of cinematography had been imported to the Soul Society soon after it had become in the World of the Living, and technology surrounding their development had become more complex, though the film business remained fairly small. Most of Rukongai was too poor to produce or view movies, while the aristocracy of the Seireitei was too stuffy and old-fashioned to properly appreciate them. Only an odd group of middle-class entrepreneurs from outside, as well as the Soul Reapers that had come from a Rukongai background from inside, watched movies with any regularity, and the audience for the kinds of films this establishment portrayed was smaller still.

Eying the dirty and ill-lit theater lobby with distaste, Soi Fon headed towards theatre number three. A poster hung next to the door which was hard to read in the dim light, but read "Immoral Blossoms 2: Twin Buds." Soi Fon stopped and stared at the poster and what it depicted for a moment, blushing profusely and wondering if she wasn't getting into something that she would be entirely uncomfortable with. She knew she had to do it, of course. She had to learn about this sort of thing for Yoruichi's sake, she could only imagine that it would all be worth it once she was able to actually do it, and Soi Fon was a visual learner. It would be far too mortifying to…

"Don't just stand there gawkin' at the poster. Go in. The movie'll be much better." Soi Fon turned around to see a male shinigami standing behind her, an average-sized man who nonetheless towered over the petite Soi. For an instant she was gripped with fear, but then remembered that she had come in disguise. For this unsavory little mission, she had dug up an older Onmitsukido uniform, one that included a mask covering everything but her eyes and was not modified for Shunko, covering arms and legs as well. With her small breasts and deep-for-a-woman voice, she could be just another anonymous male patron of this establishment.

"Indeed," Soi Fon said, at a loss for a proper response.

"Aren't you one of those Onmitsukido guys?"

"Yes."

"Huh, never seen one of you around here before. Figured the ice queen never let you guys have any fun."

Soi Fon was grateful for the dim light, for it further shrouded the death glare she shot at the man. Just because it was true didn't mean he had to say it. "You don't see us here because we don't let you," she said instead.

"Hah," the man laughed. "I guess so. But come on, it's almost starting."

Soi Fon followed the man into the theatre, though remained at the back rows of seats while the man moved forward. There were only a few other men all told in the theatre, concentrated further up, which made sense as it was the middle of a business day and most Shinigami or Rukongaijin should have been on duty or working. _That goes for me, too,_ Soi Fon thought, but she could justify taking a few hours off midday for something this important. She slunk into a back row and sat down as the movie began.

The movie started with minimal plot, a scene or two establishing a family in one of the middle-class sectors of Rukongai, detailing Yui, the young wife of a traveling merchant who constantly left her alone, and Kumiko, an attractive young milkmaid who made nightly deliveries to Yui's home along with others in the neighborhood. A scene showed Kumiko flirting with Yui on one nightly delivery and the latter being vaguely receptive, but this did not give Soi Fon any information of importance.

The next scene began with Yui taking a bath the next evening when Kumiko came and knocked on the door to Yui's home, prompting Yui to go to the front door wearing nothing but a skimpy towel to let Kumiko in for the delivery, and after a few suggestive comments, Kumiko began kissing Yui, who made some attempt to resist but ultimately gave in and showed Kumiko the way to her bedroom.

Soi Fon paid more attention to the dialogue at this juncture, because she imagined that this sort of conduct was elaborately ritualized and that she could not afford to disappoint Yoruichi when it came to her conduct in approaching this important matter. The diligent young woman had thought to bring a notebook and a pen with her on this excursion, and she was scribbling down a few of the lines verbatim, as well as trying to capture as much as she could of tone of voice and body language.

Her note-taking grew all the more frantic as Yui and Kumiko began to make love on the screen. _One woman takes active role, one woman takes passive. Breasts can be stimulated by hands, focus on nipple area with fingers, lips, tongue (?) and teeth (?)._ Soi Fon could not tell what exactly was going on at all times. Clearly Kumiko's mouth was addressing Yui's nipple, but she could not tell what parts of her mouth she was employing. Easier to spot was one hand that massaged at Yui's other breast. She briefly sketched out a quick drawing that represented what Kumiko's hand was doing at Yui's nipple, focusing on the precise positioning of the fingers.

Her notes grew quite descriptive as the movie drew on_. Sexual climax (orgasm) dictates a brief interlude of kissing before women switch roles. Foreplay dictates position A, with mouth on one nipple, hand on other nipple, other hand at vagina. Intercourse at position B, with tongue penetrating vagina and fingers stimulating clitoris roughly once every 15 seconds … Once slickness is sufficient, toys may be used … Dildo can be used manually, or inserted into Active vagina for phallus-like use on Passive, freeing up hands for embrace or further nipple attention … Embrace links up around shoulder blades, allowing the bodies to push together symmetrically at the breasts … Mutual stimulation achieved by coupling legs together at thighs … Two orgasms per person in a round before the couple moves to another location. _

Altogether, Soi Fon filled six pages in the small notebook with details. She retreated from the movie theatre as soon as the credits rolled, mortified that someone might see her, but confident that she was now better prepared to give the appropriate level of service to her Yoruichi-sama.

~~0000~~

Soi Fon returned to her quarters, setting the notebook in one corner of the room that was stacked up with an array of magazines, books, and paraphernalia while she stripped off the old Onmitsukido uniform and threw it straight in the trash. No way in hell was she going to trust the cleanliness of that theatre. She pondered the items she had accumulated in her room while she redressed. Sex toys lay next to a series of magazines, all acquired from the World of the Living. The magazines advertised many things of interest to Soi Fon: "_How to please your woman, 6 moves that will both satisfy her and leave her begging for more!_" a male-interest magazine claimed, while a female-interest magazine advertised "_the top brands of lingerie to make your body downright sinful!_" Some magazines were spread at the centerfold, depicting women in erotic positions that Soi Fon had learned by heart, and she had even acquired a psychology book that claimed to have the complete analysis of the lesbian mind.

It was the hardest Soi Fon had studied for anything since her Onmitsukido Entrance Exam, oh so long ago, and her notes from the movie would prove a great boon for her knowledge, though memory of the movie itself was the greatest help to Soi's visually-oriented mind. The movie had given a good deal of context to things she had been reading about, or viewing still pictures of, for the past week. Soi Fon was confident that with another week to study, she would be fully prepared to take the plunge.

Soi Fon had been together with Yoruichi for three months now, a fairly casual relationship in the lull that followed the Winter War. The Gotei 13 had only recently re-instated some of the Visoreds to the vacant Captaincies and Soi Fon was letting her hair grow to match the style she had preferred a century ago, and while things were busy as ever, Soi Fon had found time to build the relationship that she had finally won after a harrowing 4-week courtship, the result of her pact with Hachi during the war.

The dating was going quite well, but Soi Fon knew that spending time together was only one of the things that couples were expected to do, and Soi Fon feared that Yoruichi was getting impatient for the next phase. Soi Fon's fear had only been magnified when she had started doing research into the matter, and had discovered that colloquial wisdom actually decreed that the third date should mark the first instance when a couple slept together, so long as they both consented. Soi Fon and Yoruichi had gone on that many dates in the course of the 4 weeks, let alone the bi-weekly dates that they had been on in the three months since, and still they had not brought their relationship to the point of sex.

Sex, in and of itself, was not a concept that bothered Soi Fon. It was something she thought about little enough, of course, because it had no real role in her life while Yoruichi was not a part of it, and Soi Fon was comfortable enough with a decent degree of physical intimacy with Yoruichi. Technically they already had "spent the night together," the night at the end of the Four Weeks when she had properly confessed her love for Yoruichi, they had kissed for a time and then fallen asleep in Soi's quarters, but that experience had been different. That had been a catharsis of sorts, something abnormal (but wholly welcome), whereas now Soi Fon would have to deliberately initiate the ritual of carnal relations.

Soi Fon was not bothered by the burden of that responsibility, however, as she was a woman who shouldered great responsibility both often and willingly. Instead there was a mental block, a block that was still there despite the fact that she was now in a relationship with Yoruichi on equal terms. She was Yoruichi's equal as far as the relationship went, but when she tried to fantasize about Yoruichi in a sexual context, her comfort and confidence levels dropped to nothing. This is not to say that she was not sexually attracted to Yoruichi, she very much was, but the idea of Yoruichi, her perfect Goddess, deigning to have sex with _her_ was something she just could not wrap her mind around.

Perfection demanded perfection, Soi Fon thought, and her woeful lack of sexual experience ("lack of" being the wrong term. She was a virgin, simply put) meant that she could never hope to be everything Yoruichi deserved in a lover. Fear was the root of her anxiety. Fear that she would fail her Yoruichi-sama, that her inadequate sexual performance would forever cast a pall over their relationship. Soi Fon would always know the shame of being unable to properly satisfy her Yoruichi-sama, and that would shackle her with the onus of being an inadequate girlfriend.

Her massive research project had stemmed from this fear, because Soi Fon was not the kind of person to wallow in fear, but to learn about what she was afraid of, face it head-on, conquer it and leave its mangled corpse on the ground. Therefore she had learned everything she could about sex, whether it was from girl-girl pornographic films, magazine articles about how to please women or how, as a woman, to make herself appealing. If she was afraid of being insufficient, the solution was to become hyper-competent, then step forward and do it.

Soi Fon was feeling freshly confident as she donned her haori, but then came a subtle sound, a barely-perceptible pitter-patter of cat paws on wooden flooring, and her confidence level began sinking fast. In a panic, Soi Fon moved to hide her research. She reached into her bureau and pulled out a number of articles of clothing, casting them over the various items that composed her research to make sure they were well-concealed. She then hastily shut the doors to her bureau and moved over to the small desk in a hasty effort to show that she was hard at work.

"Hey, Yoruichi," she said as she heard the cat-flap rattle (though the Squad Two barracks were very cat-friendly, only recently had her bedroom been installed with a cat-flap, a promise from Yoruichi to always come in through the actual door whichever form she was in).

"Hey," came the gruff reply of Yoruichi's feline form. Soi Fon continued looking at her desk, drawing idle scrawls with a pen on a sheet of paper to give further credence to the idea that she was working. Of course, she really did have a lot of work to do. It was early afternoon, and she had taken the late morning off to conduct her research, so she was behind for the day. Yoruichi approached her and began rubbing up against her legs.

"Why did you drop by so suddenly?" Soi Fon asked as she continued "working."

"Why do I ever come by?" Yoruichi asked airily. "I haven't seen you for a week, and I was wondering what could be making you so busy in these boring times, hmm?"

"Various duties," Soi Fon said evasively.

"Really now?" suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and the naked Yoruichi Shihoin emerged before her. "Two dates a week like clockwork since we got together, and now suddenly a week off? I think you're not being honest with me." She was immeasurably more beautiful than any of the women in Soi's magazines or either of the women in that movie, all things seeming to be in perfect proportion, all curves with milk chocolaty skin that shaped itself in places to form decedent breasts with dark-chocolate nipples and a picture-perfect ass. Soi Fon was again struck with the perfection of her naked body, and the intimidation that came with viewing that perfection, but at the same time Soi Fon's heart skipped a beat.

Primed by a week of obsessively working towards the goal that now stood naked before her, Soi Fon felt a sudden heat spread through her body, culminating at her loins where a mild wetness accumulated. Yes, Soi Fon was aware of her physical attraction to Yoruichi, but never before had it come over her so suddenly, despite the fact that she had seen her naked many times before, and had bathed with her on several occasions since they had started properly dating. She felt lust, an honest desire to do one or all of the many things she had learned to the body in front of her, and to have that body do things to her.

The shortest war in recorded and unrecorded history was waged in Soi Fon's mind in that instant. On the one side fought the forces of Schedule-land, the group that knew she had allotted two weeks of research and studying time before she could hope to be adequately prepared to satisfy Yoruichi in bed, and that she had only been working at this for one singular week. Against them fought the forces of Opportunity-no-kuni, who employed in their arsenal some of the knowledge Soi Fon had gathered. Much of what she had read referred to "the mood" or "the moment," when the time was ripe for the ritual of carnal relations to begin. From what Soi Fon had read, that moment was now, with Yoruichi's continuing nudity and Soi Fon's sudden arousal, she knew this was an ideal window of opportunity. What, asserted the forces of Opportunity, were the chances of her being able to replicate a mood like this in one week's time? With that potent weapon, Opportunity handily annihilated Schedule, and Soi Fon made her decision as Opportunity picked clean the carcasses of their foes.

"Have a seat," she said suddenly, indicating her desk-chair, which aside from her futon and bureau was the only furniture in her bedroom. Yoruichi looked at her curiously, usually Soi Fon had yelled at her about putting some clothes on by now. "I'll be with you in a moment." Employing a speed that only someone like Yoruichi could hope to track, Soi Fon shunpoed over to her bureau, and then over to her bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Yoruichi sat naked on the chair, now thoroughly vexed. While Yoruichi was trained enough to be able to have observed Soi Fon's movements, she had been unable to see exactly what Soi Fon had retrieved from her bureau. She had gone a week without hearing from Soi Fon after three months of consistent dating, and showed up only to find her girlfriend acting strangely. Yoruichi had already noticed the disordered pile of clothes in one corner of the room, something completely out of character for her compulsively-neat Little Bee. Yoruichi almost wanted to go see if those clothes were hiding anything, but her intuition told her that she would find out what was up if she had a bit of patience, and the clues were not all that hard to follow.

She was getting fairly excited as she waited, because the current situation reminded her of the last time she had had sex, a night some 22 years ago in a distant country in the World of the Living. A sultry night in some city's entertainment district, cool drinks, hot music, and a woman whose eyes were able to beckon Yoruichi in just the right way. The woman had approached her, flirted briefly and shared a drink, danced with her, shared another drink, and then whisked her away to a hotel, sat her down on the bed much as Soi Fon had asked her to sit, retreated to the bathroom much as Soi Fon had retreated into her bathroom. The woman had returned, then had sex with Yoruichi, leading to a long night of pleasure.

It was odd, really, despite Yoruichi remembering that night in such detail, she could not seem to recall the other woman's name, or any of the other names, for that matter. In all her years, Yoruichi had slept with three, possibly four women, for the second time (a morning 43 years ago) she had definitely woken up with a different woman than the one that had picked her up from that club the night before. The women had all been much the same; attractive, experienced, confident, and quite casual. Yoruichi had used them to explore her homosexuality as part of her many journeys of self-discovery around the World of the Living, while they had used Yoruichi for a casual fling, another notch in their belts. In all cases, the sex had been a pleasant diversion, but nothing that Yoruichi especially looked forward to compared to other activities she enjoyed.

There was much about sex that Yoruichi didn't know. She had been exposed to a good deal of sexually-explicit multimedia content in the World of the Living (Kisuke had always insisted on having the best internet connection available as soon as that technology had emerged), but she had always noted the disconnect between pornography and her own sexual experiences. There were a lot of intricacies in the conduct of the women she had met, a lot of actions and positions that they seemed to understand but she did not, but were different from those that could be found on the internet. Sex with those women had mostly involved Yoruichi lying back and receiving what they had to offer, and then reciprocating in whatever way felt natural.

When Yoruichi had realized that she was in love with Soi Fon, her interest in having sex with her had spiked significantly. She had been attracted to her Little Bee for a long time, of course, but she had usually framed the idea of having sex with Soi Fon as another fun and pleasurable thing they could do together. After she had discovered the true depth of her feelings for the other woman during their four-week courtship, however, she realized that sex could take on a whole new dimension; a physical expression of the deep emotional bond between the two of them, something she realized that she had been looking forward to for a long time. Of course, her Little Bee was delightfully awkward when it came to nudity or sexual contact between them, and Yoruichi did not wish to make Soi Fon truly uncomfortable, so she had not been doing anything to insinuate that they should start having sex. She could have patience, confident that Soi Fon would be ready one day soon.

The bathroom door opened, and "soon" became "now." Soi Fon emerged out, wearing a sky blue lacy push-up bra that gave the poorly-endowed woman the delightful impression of cleavage and a matching set of panties that seemed to be barely there. She walked with a decided sway in her step, and her eyes had that same "come hither" look that Yoruichi had been snared by in that club 22 years ago. She reminded Yoruichi much of those women in how she looked now, confident and yet cavalier. It was a look that suited her Little Bee, a strong woman who was at her best when she was in control of situations. Yoruichi especially loved this because it was another instance of a separate thing she loved about her Little Bee: she had known Soi Fon for years, and despite the fact that she was stubborn, rock-solid reliable, and quite set in her ways, she often managed to surprise Yoruichi.

Wordlessly, Soi Fon approached Yoruichi where she sat on the chair and reached out with a hand. Yoruichi reached out, and Soi Fon took up her hands and willed her into a standing position, then walked her over to the Spartan futon that was Soi Fon's bedding. Soi Fon gently pushed Yoruichi down towards the futon, and Yoruichi acquiesced, allowing herself to lie down on the soft surface and for Soi Fon to straddle her, sitting up.

Slowly, silently, Soi Fon leaned down and kissed Yoruichi briefly, then leaned back up a little. "Now," she said softly, her voice dripping with eroticism, "I'll make your bud blossom."

Yoruichi stared starkly back at Soi Fon for a moment, her mind scrambling to process what she had just heard, then a smile broke onto her face. A smile was followed by a chuckle, and then by a laugh, and very soon Yoruichi was veritably howling and literally rolling on the floor laughing, rolling out from under Soi Fon as she struggled to contain her mirth. "Hahaahaha! Where did you get that line?" she asked as her laughter began to die down, though the odd laugh still found its way out. "That was comedy gold!" She looked at Soi Fon, awaiting an answer, but saw something she did not expect to see.

Soi Fon knelt in an upright position, stone-faced. She had failed, already she had failed, before she had even begun to address Yoruichi's naked body. She should have known that her technique needed far more refinement than the pitiful fare she had displayed so far, or at least she should have tried harder to enact the ritual perfectly. She would not cry, not in front of Yoruichi, for crying now would merely dig her failure in deeper, but she certainly felt the weight of disappointment come tumbling down all at once.

As Yoruichi regained her composure, she immediately noted the unreadable expression on Soi Fon's face, the neutral expression that seemed patently emotionless. Yoruichi knew better, of course, she knew it meant that her Little Bee was quite upset indeed. "What's wrong, Soi Fon?"

"You laughed at me," Soi Fon said. She knew better than to lie to Yoruichi about her emotional problems. "I tried to have sex with you, and you laughed at me."

"Of course I did," Yoruichi said. "Coming at me with lines like that, where did you get that? Some cheesy porno flick?"

Soi Fon's hard, emotionless expression crumbled, replaced by an adorable look of embarrassment as her face flushed and she twiddled her forefingers together. "…I thought it could teach me," she said finally.

"The only thing porno movies teach you is how to be a porn star," Yoruichi said. "Most of the sex stuff you read, watch, or find on the internet isn't what sex is really about."

"So I'll have to look elsewhere to learn?" Soi Fon asked.

Yoruichi could no longer help herself. "Ohh, you're so adorable!" She crawled back over to the futon and hugged Soi Fon. "Silly Bee, you don't need to learn about sex. Do bees need to be taught to pollinate flowers? All you need is two willing partners and a sense of adventure. Maybe some liquor," she added, chuckling a little and disengaging the hug.

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Soi Fon replied, "I assumed you would…" she stopped herself.

Yoruichi picked up on the implication. "Have a lot of experience?" she finished Soi's question. "I really don't do anything to fight that impression, do I?" Soi Fon did not say or do anything, though it was clear enough that she agreed. "It's an easy mistake, I guess," Yoruichi said. "But I've only had sex a few times. You'd be surprised, _a lot_ of places in the World of the Living have something against two people of the same gender getting it on, so the pickings are slim."

Soi Fon shot Yoruichi an odd look. "Another joke," Yoruichi assured her. "While it is kinda hard to find lesbians in the World of the Living, it's more about the fact that I don't really feel like I need to have a lot of sex. I mean, it's fun and all, it feels amazing, but it never really felt special."

"The way I figure it," Yoruichi said, now leaning in closer to Soi Fon, "you should have sex with someone you love, with someone you find absolutely adorable, someone you want to ravish and smother with affection, your petite one and only."

"So… we can learn together?" Soi Fon said, her face rising into a haughty smile. "Good." Soi Fon then lunged forward, bearing Yoruichi back down on the futon.

Despite what she had just now been told about pornographic movies, Soi Fon began with the technique she had seen only hours before. Her Goddess' body lay splayed out beneath her, and it seemed to her that "Position A" was the best way to ravish as much of that body as possible with the resources available to her. She cut right to the chase, moving her face and mouth towards one nipple while moving one hand to the other, and her other hand down towards Yoruichi's womanhood.

Soi Fon started slowly, licking at the milk-chocolaty surface with long, slow licks, taking in a flavor that was definitely not chocolate but was, in its own way, just as sweet, one of the many flavors of her Yoruichi-sama that she would soon grow accustomed to. Her licks went inward in concentric circles, finding their way to the areola and then to the now-erect nipple. Her tongue danced there for a time, taking in its distinct shape, before she pushed her lips inward. At the same time, she pinched at Yoruichi's nipple with her one hand, while her other hand gently brushed at Yoruichi's labia with its fingertips. The labia was swollen and slightly wet, pregnant with the desire that now consumed Yoruichi, desire that was only being inflamed by Soi Fon's surprisingly skilled touch.

_Maybe learning about sex is useful,_ Yoruichi thought before she let out a sharp hiss of breath as Soi's teeth nipped at her nipple with just the right amount of force. Soi Fon took the hiss as a sign to proceed, and her fingers penetrated the folds of Yoruichi's labia, now exploring inside, seeking a point that she had read about but had not yet seen even in that movie. She quickly found her target, a small nub filled with countless nerve endings, countless avenues through which she could pleasure Yoruichi. Her notes from the movie seemed to be steering her in the right direction so far, despite Yoruichi's statements to the contrary, and Soi Fon was just about to indulge the next step, to begin taking her head downward so that she could sample a different taste of her Yoruichi-sama, when Yoruichi herself intervened.

Determined to prove to Soi Fon that sex could not be properly orchestrated or controlled, Yoruichi took her previously-slack arms, grabbed Soi Fon's torso and pulled her up, bringing her mouth level to Yoruichi's own and kissed her. Yoruichi was a kisser, after all, finding some joy in having her tongue explore her Little Bee's face and mouth that was independent of sexual pleasure, but a joy all its own. That was why Yoruichi had been so content to wait until Soi Fon was ready, because their occasional make-out sessions had been quite satisfying in and of themselves. The pleasure was only enhanced now, as she clutched her Little Bee's strong-yet-frail body to her, feeling her lover's small breasts press into her own prodigious mounds as the Goddess of Flash proceeded to dominate the interior of Soi Fon's mouth, feeling their body heats mingle, feeling a hint of wetness from Soi Fon's womanhood trickle onto her leg.

Soi Fon fought back by thrusting her tongue into Yoruichi's mouth as well, savoring the second flavor of Yoruichi Shihoin. She too had enjoyed all the time she spent making out with Yoruichi, but this taste was familiar to her, and now that Soi Fon felt confident, now that her doubts and fears had been soothed away by the only person capable of giving her comfort, she wanted to venture into untested waters. She wanted the third flavor, but she had to get Yoruichi to let her go first. One hand snaked its way down beside their bodies, sneaking into the narrow gap between them and finding its way back to Yoruichi's pussy. Three fingers thrust in deeper than before.

Her efforts at disrupting Yoruichi's passionate kisses were unsuccessful. Yoruichi moaned at the sudden contact, but the moan merely filled Soi Fon's mouth as Yoruichi managed to keep her lips firmly pressed to her lover's. Soi Fon did not give up, however, and continued moving her fingers about, adding in her thumb against Yoruichi's clitoris.

That did it. "Agh! Soi!" Yoruichi yelled, being pulled further towards the Heaven of pleasure by her Little Bee, though it also achieved Soi's purpose of getting Yoruichi to let her go. Soi Fon quickly moved downwards, at last getting her head to the point that she so wanted to taste. Yoruichi's shrine, her innermost sanctum, to which she was now tacitly granting Soi Fon access. It was about more than tasting more of Yoruichi's flavors, it was a sign of proof that Yoruichi had accepted Soi Fon on as deep a level as was physically possible.

Yoruichi hooked her legs behind Soi Fon's head, suddenly greedy for the pleasure her Little Bee seemed to be so good at bringing her. Yoruichi was not surprised by Soi Fon's show of aptitude. She had been half-lying when she said those pornographic movies were good for nothing, because the techniques used in such movies were at least somewhat valid, and she knew her Little Bee was diligent about preparing for anything and everything, but her show of talent seemed to be more than that. Soi's talent for pleasuring Yoruichi was further fulfillment of her life's purpose, Yoruichi realized. All her life, her Little Bee had been trying to please Yoruichi, and this was another avenue of that pleasure, a glorious avenue.

But an avenue was not a one-way street. Yoruichi would not let Soi Fon give all the pleasure and receive nothing in return, and she was too impatient even to wait to give Soi cunnilingus after her lover had brought her to orgasm. She had to show her love for Soi now, even as Soi Fon was showing her love to Yoruichi in turn. Utilizing her legs' grip on Soi Fon's head, Yoruichi flipped both of their bodies over, so that Soi was lying now on her back and Yoruichi on her front, then Yoruichi pulled Soi Fon around so that her wet, virgin womanhood was a scant inches from Yoruichi's face, then Yoruichi herself mounted Soi Fon's body, exposing her womanhood to Soi Fon's face in turn. Both women now getting what they wanted, they indulged.

Soi Fon found it hard to categorize the flavor of Yoruichi's love juices, to distinguish it from the flavor of her skin or of her saliva, mostly because Soi Fon's brain was entirely consumed by her own pleasure, Yoruichi's quick tongue-work being all that she could have hoped for and infinitely more. Yoruichi, meanwhile, continued to be pleased by Soi Fon's show of skill.

The two women became one as they ate one another out. The pleasure given by Yoruichi's mouth shot from Soi's loins to her head, where her own mouth worked at facilitating Yoruichi's pleasure, forming a circle of fulfillment, a perpetual cycle of pleasure, deepening the bond between the two women as their desires for one another formed a truly symbiotic relationship, feeding and growing off of one another, deepening their love and showing them both the true meaning of sex.

Yoruichi climaxed first, having been serviced longer than Soi Fon, finding this release to be all the more potent and fulfilling than in any of her other sexual encounters. She owed so much to Soi Fon, the woman who had showed her the joy of emotional commitment was now showing her the new dimensions of joy that sex could acquire, the emotional dimensions, beyond the pale of mere physical interactions. She owed Soi Fon a similar release, and in the process of her climax, she shunted Soi Fon much closer to the goal, because her tongue was quite committed to exploring the innermost folds of Soi Fon's pussy when she was pushed over the brink, so her primal howl of pleasure reverberated through Soi Fon's womanhood, increasing her pleasure apace.

Soi Fon came soon after that, her howl being audible as she had pulled away from Yoruichi's pussy after having her face bathed in love juices, a manifestation of the satisfaction she had given to her Goddess. "Yoruichi-samaaa!" she howled as she was driven by her Goddess' orgasm into an orgasm all her own.

Yoruichi turned around, realigning their faces, as Soi Fon panted on top of her. Again following the script of the movie, Soi Fon began kissing Yoruichi between pants as both women bathed in the afterglow, that feeling of serene oneness that both women hoped would never go away. _And it won't go away,_ Soi Fon though. _Because I know I'll have Yoruichi forever._

They continued making out for a while, their pace gradually slowing, until both women fell asleep on Soi Fon's now thoroughly-disheveled futon, deliberately sleeping together for the first time.

_There was only one thing I regretted about the first time we slept together…._

~0~

Captain-Commander Yamamoto clutched at the staff which concealed Ryujin Jakka with his one hand. "Where is Captain Soi Fon?" he growled. "Does anyone know?"

He received no answer from the 11 other assembled Captains. "Disappointing," he said. "With her attendance record, I would have expected better."

Author's Note: Hello, YoruSoi community. I'm back again with a sequel of sorts to "Four Weeks." With this story, I hope to take a look at the significant parts of any long-term relationship and see how Soi Fon and Yoruichi would deal with them. I'm going to frame the story with the two of them looking back and reminiscing about their relationship on a very important day in their lives in the future, a day whose details will be revealed as the story unravels. Aside from that "frame," however, I'm trying to make each event like its own story, which will help, because I'm juggling a lot of stuff right now and may not have time to update regularly.

I'm trying to refine my lemon technique, which one reviewer said was too technical and lacked emotion in my other story "Relationship Hurdles". You all tell me what you think!


	2. 4 Marriage

The Fourth Thing: Marriage

"It is 0806 hours. Wake up."

"Awh, you gave me a one-minute reprieve. That's how I know you love me."

"Yes, well…"

"You're so adorable when you blush like that! Come here, you think we have time to…?"

"We do not. The ceremony starts in 54 minutes. Assuming that we will not be able to shunpo directly to our position, we'll need to leave at 0857 hours at the latest, giving us roughly 2 minutes to properly enter. That gives us 51 minutes to dress and dine before we leave."

"We both know you could do that in 7 minutes at most. Now come back down here." Yoruichi stared up from her sprawled position on their elaborate Queen-sized bed, gripped by a sudden surge of desire for her Little Bee, a desire that had abated only slightly through the years, still present, though no longer strong enough to overwhelm any other concern. Soi Fon looked so delightfully tousled in the morning, and Yoruichi could rarely resist the urge if she caught her fresh out of bed.

"No," Soi Fon said shortly.

"No isn't an option!" Yoruichi said eagerly, moving quickly to snare Soi Fon's arm and drag her back down onto the bed.

"Ah! Yoruichi-sama!"

~0~

Seventeen minutes later, both women rolled out of bed, both thoroughly disheveled and quite satisfied. "There now, wasn't that fun?"  
>"I suppose…" Soi Fon said, though she smiled over at her lover. "But we have to get dressed <em>now<em>," she stressed. "Go select a kimono for the occasion. Something that matches my haori, then comb your hair. I'll be getting breakfast," she added as she left their bedroom.

Yoruichi smiled. "Getting" breakfast meant she was likely going to go terrify whichever poor soul had been put on breakfast duty for Squad Two today. Although Soi could cook decently well (and had only improved the art over the years), the regular delays Yoruichi often compelled Soi Fon to face in the mornings would lead to her to go demand quick meals from the division cooks.

Yoruichi wandered out of bed, across the bedroom, and into the sizable walk-in closet that the two of them shared. "Shared" was a bit of a stretch, of course, since Yoruichi occupied a clean four-fifths of the place, with an array of dress kimono, training shirts, swimsuits, and a wide selection of World of the Living clothing from formal wear to lingerie and everything in between. Soi Fon's "side" of the closet contained two spare haori, one outfit each of formal and casual World of the Living clothing, one yukata, an older Onmitsukido uniform, and, yes, a fair selection of lingerie.

She wandered amongst her dress kimono, searching thoroughly among them. She usually only wore dress kimono or yukata to festivals with Soi Fon, and since Soi had only the one yukata, Yoruichi was limited in what could go with that. She had never before had to pick something that went with Soi's haori. Slowly getting frustrated, she turned her gaze to the back of the closet, and there she saw it. The perfect kimono to wear, something that went with Soi's haori and was an enduring symbol of their love for one another that would be a perfect fit for this day, just as it had been a perfect fit on that day, now almost 19 years ago…

~~0000~~

"So what are you getting?"

"What am I getting for what?"

"For Captain Soi Fon and Yoruichi! Don't tell me you're not getting them a gift."

"What am I supposed to get them?" Toshiro Hitsugaya asked sullenly. "Soi Fon seems like she'd be hard to buy gifts for, and Yoruichi's rich, so what _could_ I get for her?"

"Right…" Rangiku Matsumoto said, as if she had just remembered, "I guess if you're not in the Women's Association, you wouldn't know. Captain Soi Fon's crazy for cats, though a lot of the Association officers are getting her something cat-related, so that won't help you."

"So I'll just buy them some sake," Hitsugaya said dismissively.

"Wow, Captain," Rangiku whistled, "you really _don't_ know Captain Soi Fon. You need to get them something different."

"Well then what are _you_ getting them?" Hitsugaya asked, growing more annoyed with his Lieutenant.

"I got one gift that will cover both of them," Rangiku said, looking all too pleased with her own cleverness, "you see, if two women really love each other, they lack a certain…"

"Stop!" Hitsugaya yelped, blushing. "I really don't want to know."

"Well you'll have to think of something." Rangiku said. "It'll be hard enough for any of us to compete with Omaeda, but if a Captain just didn't try at all…"

"Wait," Hitsugaya interrupted her, "Lieutenant Omaeda?" he asked incredulously. "Why would he be hard to compete with?"

"Well, from what I've heard…"

~0~

Yes, the former and current Captains of Squad Two and Commanders-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido were now the talk of all Seireitei, whether it was debates on the ethics of homosexuality, questions about what sort of gifts should be bought or what sort of clothes should be worn, or just simple gossip at what was turning into the most popular love story of the past five centuries. For whatever reason, all eyes were on Yoruichi and Soi Fon, and all lips spoke their names.

For a while, Yoruichi had been quite pleased with the current state of affairs. Being the center of attention over their love brought out that all-too-cute side of Soi Fon, the shy, blushing bee, and so Yoruichi was able to see Soi Fon at her cutest almost every time they stepped outside. At the same time, however, the persistence of gawkers, hangers-on, and people asking questions ranging from the nosy to the irate to the voyeuristically perverted had eventually begun to wear on Yoruichi, so she had taken once again to going around in cat form. Soi Fon didn't blame her, of course. If anything, Soi Fon envied that, as she too was the center of such attention, though Soi Fon was still respected and feared enough that she did not get quite the same level of obnoxious questions.

Yoruichi enjoyed the utility of her cat form, that it was still a secret relatively few knew about (despite the fact that Soi's obsession with cats was reasonably well-known), and so allowed her to walk through Seireitei carefree, unless a Captain or Lieutenant who knew her secret (such as Byakuya or Rukia Kuchiki) came by, and even then, her legendary speed kept them away. Yoruichi was a social animal, but being a cat allowed her to escape those pressures when she wanted to. It also allowed her to see and experience the world in different ways, giving her a degree of freedom and the ability to have experiences few would ever get to have. She doubted that anyone else in Soul Society, for instance, could claim the joy of taking a nap curled up entirely on their fiancée's lap, being stroked behind the ears.

Yoruichi and Soi Fon had been engaged now for five glorious months. Initially the engagement was to be much shorter, since Soi Fon was not at all the kind of woman given to beating around the bush with something as straightforward as marriage, but the nature of Soi Fon's proposal had precluded their relationship remaining fairly private and low-key as it had before, so the matter of their marriage had become the center of attention, forcing the date back. First had come the Central 46 hearing on the matter of lesbian marriage, where the judicial body had ruled that there was nothing but unofficial custom barring the marriage between two women, though the body had noted that it was somewhat suspicious for such an irregular marriage to occur between a Captain in the Gotei 13 and the heir to one of the Great Noble Houses. Then came the insistence from the Gotei 13 that a large-scale ceremony be held, for it was the first time ever that a Captain had gotten married while holding their Captaincy (Byakuya's marriage to Hisana dating to before his acquisition of the rank), and Yamamoto felt it was an excellent opportunity to promote the image of the Gotei 13 in a positive way. The hearing had put them back a month, but Yamamoto's insistence set them back a further four, and excitement about the wedding had only increased in the interim. Now only a week remained before the ceremony, set for the following Friday, and the public interest was reaching a fever pitch.

Only one group of people had remained strangely quiet about the whole affair, up until yesterday when Yoruichi had received a very brief message; a summons from the Shihoin Clan Family Council. Yoruichi had known a breach with her family was imminent ever since she had acknowledged that her feelings for Soi Fon were genuine love, but she had done nothing to initiate the final breach. Her life philosophy was all about mutual coexistence: if somebody wasn't directly bothering her or the people she cared about, she wouldn't bother them. She had maintained this sort of relationship with her family. She was still on friendly terms with her mother and father, visiting them occasionally, but all three of them knew not to address matters of inheritance during these visits. She kept herself distanced from "the family," however. The Shihoin Clan as a Seireitei institution was one whose goals were quite opposed to her own, despite the fact that she was nominally in charge of them, namely that they needed her to be a nice little heiress and marry someone who could take on the traditional family jobs, and then bear that man's children to further the family line. None of that was appealing to Yoruichi in the slightest.

Because she was in cat form, Yoruichi was forced to sneak into Shihoin Manor, since she would be naked when she reverted to a human state. She found a secret compartment in an odd corner of one of the side-buildings where she had stashed some of her preferred clothing; the orange shirt and modified Onmitsukido uniform, and donned them before making her appearance. She was expected, and servants led her into the family council chamber.

Yoruichi stepped into the council chamber, and felt as though she was going back over a century, to before her departure. It was the inner council chamber, reserved for the family to address purely internal matters. Thus it was a less imposing space than the other council chamber (which was built similarly to the one used by Central 46, designed to intimidate outsiders and subordinate clans). Here all those seated were nominally equal, with the former clan head at the narrow end of the low table, and the current clan head at the other narrow end: her position, at least for now. She was "Clan Head" in name only at this point, her father having maintained the duties of running the family internally even after she had come of age, and with command of the Onmitsukido lost, Yoruichi had no actual dealings with family matters. There were ten pillows around the low table, indicating the ten family members who now held rank, counting herself. Her father sat at the head with her mother on his left side. Further down the left was her Aunt, her father's sister, and her Uncle, her Aunt's husband, and finally her second cousin, the only one there who was closer to her age. He was the child of one of her father's cousins, though four of father's cousins altogether sat on the other side, older men, the backbone of the clan hierarchy.

Yoruichi's great-grandfather had had several children, but only one son, her grandfather, who in turn had had two children but only one son, her father. Thus she had many relatives, though only she, her mother, and her father had the last name Shihoin. She knew that little fact was why she was here. The most conventional option remaining to a clan in the position of the Shihoin was to adopt the son of a lesser clan, and then marry her to her adopted brother, but now she had thwarted even that bit of trickery.

She took her far seat at the far end of the table, her face impassive. Her Aunt and a few cousins looked impassive as well, though annoyance could be seen in her uncle, second cousin, and the other cousins. Her parents, however, looked odd, almost disappointed, a look Yoruichi had not expected. "I trust you understand why you have been summoned, heir Yoruichi," her father said.

"I have an idea," she said, allowing herself to smile and inspiring a few scowls from some at the table.

"Please, take this seriously," her mother cautioned, gently. "Do you know what you are doing, marrying this Fon girl?"

"Soi Fon," Yoruichi now said, a little angry. "That's her name."

"I'm sorry," her mother apologized. "But do you know the full consequences of your actions?"

Yoruichi was taken aback, by the apology and by her mother's tone, thick with a sad disappointment. "I'm marrying the woman I love," she said, feeling too self-conscious for a flippant remark.

"You are doing as you please, yet again," her father said. He too was not accusing her, but merely sounded sad. "We have let you do as you wish for a long time. We have been very generous with you, because your mother and I love you. But you have gone too far, marrying Shaolin Fon. You are our last heir, you needed to marry a man, a strong man adopted from a lesser family who would take your name and your duties when you became pregnant, and hopefully you would bear a son. We entrusted you, a woman, with the duties of Clan Head because of our great faith in your abilities to lead the Onmitsukido, but your ultimate responsibility is to the family."

"Hah!" Yoruichi now laughed. "You guys had to know I wouldn't just submit to being a baby factory."

"We knew your desires, Yoruichi," her mother said. "But we assumed, or hoped, that you would mature into your role, give up this childish infatuation with girls, and take up your responsibility. You should not go through with this selfishness."

"Marrying for love is selfish?" Yoruichi barked back.

"When your marriage dooms the entire family line, yes!" One of the cousins suddenly shouted.

"Peace," her father cautioned. "We are not here to accuse, merely to inform you. If you wish to go through with this marriage, you shall be disinherited, cast out of the Shihoin clan and lose your noble status. The family is resolved that this must be so," he said sadly.

"And if I refuse?" Yoruichi asked. It wasn't that she valued her nobility, but she refused to be intimidated.

"Then you will not be allowed to get married," her second cousin said smugly.

"How?" Yoruichi asked. "You have no legal authority to tell me who I can or can't marry. Central 46 already answered that question."

"And Central 46 also noted they would keep the marriage under review due to the potential threat created by marrying a Gotei 13 Captain to the last heir of a clan, a clan whose normal duties that Captain has usurped," her uncle said. Uncle had a seat on Central 46, as did two of the cousins. "Our testimony that the marriage is indeed a power-grab by the usurper, Shaolin Fon, would be enough to make them decree that your marriage specifically would be illegal."

"So we leave you with these choices," her father continued before Yoruichi could respond. "You can go ahead with the marriage without accepting the disinheritance, but then you would once again be an outlaw, as would Shaolin Fon. You can accept the disinheritance and report to the Bureau of Population Registration before the wedding, and we will go our separate ways. Or you can return to your responsibility and repay the family for all we have given you."

Silence hung thick in the air, with all faces remaining impassive except for her mother and father, whose faces bore a sadness that distinctly effected Yoruichi more than any of their threats could have. She wondered what exactly her parents were sad about; sad that they were being compelled to do this, sad that their daughter had chosen this life, but there were too many variables of family politics that Yoruichi could not grasp. She couldn't be mad at them, but at the same time she couldn't feel bad for them. She loved Soi Fon, and she would weather any obstacle that tried to disrupt that love, even if it meant something as substantial as losing her nobility.

"I understand," Yoruichi said. "I'll schedule an appointment with the Bureau of Population Registration."

She did get some satisfaction from seeing some of her relatives' faces fall, shocked that she would choose to willingly forego these things, though that satisfaction was tempered by her parents' continuing sadness. She saw those faces for only an instant before she flashed and was gone.

~0~

She returned to the Squad Two barracks, to Soi's quarters that they now shared as a home. As a cat, she curled up on her side of the double-wide futon they shared and closed her eyes, though she did not sleep. She was merely contemplative, and trying to treasure what would now be one of her last days as a were-cat.

Soul Society had three distinct types of souls. The Wandering Souls of Rukongai, commoners of the land, were the lowest of the three types. Their souls lacked reiatsu, which made their spirit-bodies less developed than the other two classes. They did not need to eat, although they could eat, and they also aged at the normal rate of living humans.

The second class was were the Wandering Reiatsu, those from a Rukongai background who did have Reiatsu. Because their bodies generated spiritual energy, they needed to eat, to metabolize the food that was composed of reishi particles and convert it into spiritual energy. Reiatsu-types also had the subconscious ability to control the aging process, their souls being developed enough to "choose" the point at which they wanted to stop aging, a process that varied based on personality and one one's experiences. These were traits they shared with the top class, the Nobles. Her father, for instance, had aged visibly during her lifetime, which was likely the product of his acknowledgement of her growth and aging into adulthood. Someone with an adult daughter was older, so he had aged.

The Nobility were essentially "native" to Soul Society. Whereas Reiatsu and non-reiatsu individuals reincarnated directly from dead or purified human souls, appearing as babies at random in Rukongai, the Nobility were born. The nobility also possessed higher-grade souls in that they had the capability to be able to change their spirit-bodies, though the arts by which they could transform and the transformations they could acquire were closely-guarded secrets, and few nobles had the technical skill to be able to take advantage of this ability. Yoruichi was thus gifted even among the nobility, to have mastered the secret Shihoin art of animal transformation, to have taken on a cat form, but that she even had the capability to be able to learn the form was the product of her noble status. A non-noble could never attain that capability no matter how otherwise gifted they were.

The Bureau of Population Registration was a Soul Society body, attached to Central 46, with the usually-mundane job of keeping track of Soul Society's population. They knew, as far as they were able, how many souls lived in each district of Rukongai and Seireitei, and of which class each soul was. However, the Bureau also had the ability to reclassify individual souls, both legally and in terms of changing the capabilities of the soul. It was very rare for third-class souls to receive Reiatsu, but it was possible, usually in cases of some great genius whose talents Soul Society wanted to preserve. It was slightly more common for noble families to adopt non-nobles, where they would receive not only the rank but the capabilities that went with it.

The process could be reversed, as well. Criminals possessed of Reiatsu could have it stripped from them, and members of noble families who, like her, had proven completely irreconcilable with their family could be demoted from the nobility at their family's discretion. Removal of nobility was irreversible, however, so it took a good deal of intra-family strife to bring any family to the alternative of decommissioning one of their own.

That was where Yoruichi was, however. Yoruichi would have to undergo that procedure, the one to take away her nobility. She would be left with all of her spiritual power and most of her abilities, but the cat transformation was something that she had grown to take for granted over the last century or so. It was a part of her, and now it would be gone. She could not consider the alternative. She loved Soi Fon and was going to marry her, even if it meant that she lost something else she enjoyed.

She had not mentioned her summons to the family council to Soi Fon, and did not mention it that evening when Soi returned from duty. She knew that Soi Fon would worry too much about it, that knowing what her family was doing would anger Soi Fon, or worse, cause her to question her actions and intentions. Yoruichi knew that Soi Fon would marry her, and that would not change even if Yoruichi's soul did, so there was no point in bothering Soi Fon with her little problems.

Yoruichi slept uneasily that night, sliding between dreams and waking as her anxiety about the impending loss of her cat-form mounted, but with a great effort she managed to conceal her anxiety and her restlessness from Soi Fon. Neither did she discuss it with Soi the next morning as her fiancée departed for duty. By then, however, Yoruichi was feeling quite unnerved and definitely wanted to discuss her problems with someone. Her choices were limited, however, as the wedding was the talk of Soul Society and confiding in any of her friends in this world that the Shihoin Clan was trying to interfere with the wedding, or at least interfere with one of the brides herself, could generate more gossip of a nastier sort, breeding further tensions with the clan. She needed a friend who was wise and knowledgeable, but was more importantly removed from Soul Society politics.

~0~

"That does sound rough," Kisuke Urahara said sympathetically as he sipped his tea. He was seated in the Urahara Shop's small dining room, across the table from Yoruichi as both drank tea that Tessai had brewed. "Though I've known this day was coming for a long time, it still doesn't sound very fun."

"You knew this was coming?" Yoruichi asked.

"I'm an overthinker," Kisuke said. "I saw how you fawned over Soi Fon in your own way even when she was fawning over you a hundred years ago. I just put two and two together, and figured the clan wouldn't like its leader and heir being a lesbian."

"You're a pervert, you mean, watching me and Soi Fon and thinking our innocent relationship was something more," Yoruichi said, though she smiled. Kisuke grinned sheepishly.

"Though I must say it was kind of clever for them to set it up that way," Kisuke continued. "They knew overt threats wouldn't work, so they just gave you a choice. I mean, it's not like you were ever going to have kids, but losing your cat ability… I can't even really think of you not being a cat. You probably spent, what, 90% of your time in exile in that form?"

"Maybe…" Yoruichi said, trying to think it through, but then she realized something. "Wait, what does me not having kids have to do with this?"

Kisuke gave her an odd look. "You see, dear Yoruichi, you need a man and a woman to make a baby…" he began sarcastically.

"No, not that, why bring it up at all?"

"Because only noble women can get pregnant," Kisuke replied. "You never noticed that only nobles actually gave birth?"

"No, I noticed," Yoruichi said, as the gravity of what Kisuke was saying began to dawn on her, "I just thought… I don't know what I thought, but that makes sense."

"Right. The two things that noble souls can do that other soul-types can't do is change the form of their soul body, and procreate to create new souls, and the Bureau can add or delete those abilities at the request of noble families. Like when Rukia Kuchiki was adopted into the Kuchiki Clan, she gained the ability to get pregnant, and to be able to transform. You just don't see much of the transformation thing because it's really hard to learn, while getting knocked up is easy," he added with a chuckle.

"So I guess I'll be losing that ability too…" Yoruichi said distantly. "But you're right, when was I ever going to use it, being together with Soi Fon?"

"So you're not going to tell her?" Kisuke said. He was scarily good at inferring people's thoughts sometimes.

"Why bother?" Yoruichi said. "I'm not going to lie, but I'm not going to worry her over it. It's not like she'll care about the pregnancy thing. Soi's a realist, she wouldn't be fantasizing about having babies with me, and I'm sure she'll get used to cat-less Yoruichi," she added with a fake grin.

Kisuke smiled back at her, but his smile hid his worry for his friend.

~0~

That night, as with the night before, Yoruichi had returned home, met Soi Fon, and assiduously avoided addressing the problems with her family. That night, as with the night before, Yoruichi slept restlessly.

But on that night, she was unable to conceal it from Soi Fon.

"_Oh, really? You won't be a cat anymore? That's fine, I guess," Soi Fon said, her voice unable to hide her disappointment as she clutched her black cat plushie to her chest. _

"_Really?" Soi Fon said, as she held a baby basket in her arms. "That's okay, Yoruichi-sama. I knew we would never be able to have kids anyway…" Soi Fon trailed off, tears beginning to trickle down her face. _

"_You really don't need to worry about it…" Soi Fon said, sobbing softly. "Even though it's my fault this happened to you…"_

"_No, Soi, it's not your fault," Yoruichi insisted. "It's not your fault, Soi Fon."_

"Yoruichi-sama," a gentle voice, a gentle touch on her shoulder, awoke her from her restless dream.

Yoruichi sat up, looking at her Little Bee who had risen to a sitting position next to her. "I'm alright, Soi Fon," she said, "it was only a dream," the second sentence sounded more like she was trying to reassure herself.

"Tell me what's wrong, Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fon said. "You were talking in your dream, and something has been bothering you for the last couple of days."

"It's nothing," Yoruichi lied, turning away from Soi Fon, cursing herself for choosing such a perceptive mate.

Soi Fon grabbed Yoruichi's chin, turning her face back towards her. "Tell me," she insisted.

So Yoruichi told her everything; the cruel trap that the Shihoin Clan had placed them in, her worry about being changed, about having to have her body changed, in order to go through with the wedding, her rationalizations for why she hadn't told Soi Fon about any of it.

Soi Fon's face darkened. Saying nothing, she stood and moved over to her bureau, grabbing a haori and the rest of her normal captain's clothing.

"Soi Fon…" Yoruichi said slowly. "Please, you don't have to do anything." Soi Fon did not reply, but instead finished dressing and went out the door.

"Soi Fon, wait!" Yoruichi said, now scrambling out of the futon and throwing on some clothes. Even from the delay of a few seconds, Yoruichi had a tough time picking out Soi Fon's position, moving quickly through Seireitei, and Yoruichi followed her with Shunpo. The Goddess of Flash was hard pressed to catch up, but catch up she did, landing on a rooftop just in front of her fiancée.

"Soi Fon, please," she pleaded, grabbing Soi Fon's arm. She did not know what her Little Bee intended to do, but the look of black fury in those steel-grey eyes troubled Yoruichi. She had not seen such cold, smoldering determination since the day of their reunion, and whatever Soi Fon planned could not be healthy or productive.

"Let me go, Yoruichi," Soi Fon said determinedly. The conviction of her voice led Yoruichi to let her go, willing to observe her, at least for now. Yoruichi now followed as Soi Fon lead, shunpoing straight towards the Shihoin estate. Yoruichi was somewhat afraid of what Soi Fon might do, but she was willing to trust her judgment. Soi Fon landed at the manor's front gate, standing imperiously before the guards. Yoruichi held back, hidden from view but ready to intercede if Soi did anything dangerous.

"Who goes there?" The two guards said together, crossing the spears that they bore to bar the way in front of Soi Fon. "What business do you have?"

"I demand an audience with the Shihoin Clan Inner Council." Soi said, her voice low and curt and dangerous.

"You can request an audience with the _Main_ Council tomorrow," one of the guards said sternly. "The honorable family members and most of their staff are currently sleeping, and outsiders don't get to just demand council hearings, and even then definitely not with the Inner Council."

"You know who I am, correct?" Soi Fon asked, glaring up at the man. "On the authority of Shaolin Fon, Commander in Chief of the Onmitsukido, I demand an immediate audience with the Inner Council."

One of the guards blanched upon hearing her name, recognizing her at last, but the other guard, the one who had been speaking with her, was determined to press his authority as well. "On what grounds?" he said, trying to utilize the fact that he was a clean 18 inches taller than the petite woman to intimidate her.

"I have the authority to investigate the noble families _at my discretion_," Soi Fon said, stressing the last few words. "I can choose to be courteous about when to conduct those investigations, or not. And," she added, "if any associates of the noble families attempt to resist me, I can treat them like ordinary criminals."

"I'll go summon them!" the other guard blurted out, now thoroughly terrified, leaping over the wall and into the manor.

"Wait!" the one guard said, then turned back to glare at Soi Fon, who rewarded his insolence with a quick punch to the gut. Leaving him doubled-over on the ground, she too leapt over the gate, with Yoruichi following.

Within fifteen minutes, the Inner Council had once again been summoned, the same group of 9 members of the Shihoin Clan seated around the low table, though now it was Soi Fon in Yoruichi's position. Yoruichi crept into the chamber behind Soi Fon, who noticed her. Yoruichi shot her a worried look, but Soi Fon did not respond. On any other occasion, Yoruichi would have found it quite humorous to see her clan's elders looking so unkempt, sleepy, and annoyed, but now Yoruichi was merely anxious, still worried about what precisely Soi Fon was going to say, although she was beginning to think that she was about to witness something truly amazing.

"At the request of the esteemed Commander of the Onmitsukido, we have been summoned for investigation," her father said. "Upon what grounds have we fallen under suspicion?"

"You are not going to stand in the way of my marriage," Soi Fon said.

"We are not," Yoruichi's Uncle replied. "We are merely presenting our evidence that your marriage is a further effort on your part to gain undue influence over our clan, and secure the position that you usurped from thousands of years of Shihoin family tradition."

"If we want to make up stories to provide legal cover for our actions, then I too have my reasons," Soi Fon said. "You claim I'm trying to exert influence from the Gotei 13 over a noble house. I say a Noble House is trying to interfere in the personal life of a Gotei 13 Squad Captain and is thus abusing its influence."

"Central 46 will not recognize that," one of the cousins, a Central 46 member, said. "We'll convince them that you're just fabricating these suspicions, because you are. We are actually on Central 46, so who will they believe?"

"Until Central 46 provides that ruling, I have the authority to investigate all of your family affairs, beyond the scope of my suspicions. I could have this whole manor torn inside out by dawn, legally."

"Is that a threat?" her Aunt hissed.

"It's only a possibility," Soi said, her voice impassive. "A possibility if this Council does not back off from the demands it has placed upon Yoruichi-sama."

"What do you want?" her Father said carefully. Yoruichi tried to read his expression, but he almost looked relieved.

"I want my Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fon said. "I want her as she is, unaltered."  
>"So you prove that you love her only for her nobility!" her second cousin accused.<p>

Soi Fon shot him a look of such fury that he visibly cringed. "I love Yoruichi-sama for who she chooses to be," she said. "If she loves her cat form, if she wants to be able to have children, if she wants none of these things, my love for her remains unchanged. But as long as I draw breath, I will not allow anyone to force her into being something she doesn't want to be. But I do love Yoruichi's cat-form, and if a way could be found, I would like to have children with my wife, someday, and if she also desires these things, I will be damned before I let anyone take those pleasures away from us for whatever selfish reasons they have."

Yoruichi felt her heart overflow with fresh feelings of love for her Little Bee, and a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Soi Fon was not going to do anything bad to her family, but she was solving the problem the Soi Fon way. She could have laughed, or hugged and kissed her fiancée, either out of gratitude for her actions or humor at how perfectly Soi Fon had outmaneuvered them. And above it all, Soi Fon did want to have children with her. Once again she saw the dream in her head, but modified somewhat. Instead of holding an empty baby basket, Soi Fon was holding one with an infant in it, looking adorable and motherly as she held the child; their child, and Yoruichi now realized she wanted nothing more than to have children with her one and only as well.

"Consider our position, Captain Soi Fon," Yoruichi's mother now interceded. "I know how highly you value duty. Consider that our daughter has completely abandoned her duty. Should dereliction of duty go entirely unpunished?"

"Of course not," Soi Fon said. "Yoruichi should be stripped of her duties as Clan Head, and disinherited. In exchange for that punishment, however, she should retain her bridal dowry, be allowed to keep her noble status, and be allowed to keep the Shihoin name."

"Unacceptable!" one of the cousins shouted. "The shame upon our clan for allowing such a deviant to retain our name, and yet we have to pay her dowry as if she still means anything to us?"

"We can do this the other way, certainly," Soi Fon said. For the first time since coming here, an expression crept onto her face, the haughty smile of a woman completely in control of a situation, with her prey at her mercy. "The one where you try to go to Central 46 while I have the Onmitsukido tear this place apart."

Some of the family members looked uncertain, while others looked vaguely eager. The Shihoin Clan could play into that conflict, because if they won, then they could unseat Soi Fon and restore control of the Onmitsukido to the clan outright, but how many dark family secrets would be revealed before Central 46 moved to stop Soi Fon?

"The offer is accepted," her father said, relief now evident in his voice. "Yoruichi Shihoin shall be disinherited, yet we will rescind our demand that she lose her noble status, and we shall pay her bridal dowry. That is, of course, if this is to your desire, Yoruichi."

"It is," Yoruichi said from the back of the room, smiling at her father but even more for the benefit of her Little Bee, her knight in shining armor who had saved her from her from the wicked trap, and had indeed given her what she had always wanted: freedom from the Shihoin Clan without any of the bad side-effects that freedom could possibly bring: freedom from the gilded cage, but her name, her cat-form, her womb, and even a fair bit of money would all go with her.

"Very well, then my investigation is complete," Soi Fon said. "Come along, Yoruichi-sama," she said with a heartwarming smile, and so the two of them left.

~0~

The Bureau of Population Registration had one duty other than demography and dealing with class transitions: they were responsible for overseeing weddings. There was no formalized marriage ceremony in the Soul Society, and its full legal form was limited to a pair of signatures on a document, making the marriage binding. Noble families had their own customs beyond the legalism, but when would anything involving Yoruichi adhere to the form of the nobility?

In reality, the ceremony was mostly coordinated by Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe at Captain-Commander Yamamoto's behest. Yamamoto saw the wedding as a good opportunity to showcase the human side of the Gotei 13, how they were also normal people who fell in love, and by extension fought for their loved ones. Yamamoto himself having no experience in matters of pomp and pageantry, his Lieutenant picked up the slack. Sasakibe was from a lower noble family like Soi Fon, and so had picked up on a good deal of etiquette, though he had focused on making the ceremony in this case less stiflingly patrician.

It was more like a "debutante ball" for the married couple than anything else, but held out in the open air, with many tables scattered around and caterers providing food. It was held just outside the gate to the Bureau, a gate which opened up into Rukongai, allowing the masses a semblance of access to the ceremony. Throngs of people stood outside, looking up at the gate to the Bureau, over which a curtain had been hung, concealing the two women who had just emerged from signing the documents and were already legally married. Separated from the throngs were the Invited Guests, including all Captains and Lieutenants, as well as the Shiba family, residents of the Urahara Shop, the Visoreds, and a few other individuals from Karakura Town.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Yoruichi asked. "We could slip away somewhere private and start the honeymoon early, you know."

"I'm sure," Soi Fon said. "I want to show our love to everyone." As private a person as Soi Fon was, she was determined to see this through. Captain-Commander Yamamoto had requested it of her, after all.

The two newlyweds looked resplendent in their ceremonial kimono. Yoruichi's was snowy white, contrasting beautifully with her dusky skin, with delicate gold designs tracing around the contours of the kimono. Soi Fon's was glossy black, with similar gold designs mottled around, the darkness of the cloth also contrasting with her pale china-doll skin. Both women had their hair completely undone, deep purple and raven locks hanging long and free behind their heads, though carefully combed and shampooed, shining with a sheen all their own.

"You already have, in the only way that really matters," Yoruichi said. "Have I thanked you for standing up to my family like that?"

"Yes. Many times," Soi Fon said.

"And with many more to come," Yoruichi said. She wrapped her in an embrace and kissed her.

"And now I introduce the married couple, Yoruichi Shihoin and Shaolin Fon!" Sasakibe said. He had a surprisingly good speaking voice, cultured yet booming that carried over the large crowd well, and suddenly the curtain was raised on the kissing couple, showing their love out to the world, revealing the marriage that was the culmination of a hundred-year romance, a fairy tale story come to life.

Soi Fon blushed deep when she realized that their deep kiss had been seen by so many people, which of course caused Yoruichi to only start kissing her more, until they finally disengaged, ready to present themselves to the populace.

~0~

Mostly the wedding was like a party, involving Yoruichi and Soi Fon socializing with various well-wishers, but what Yoruichi remembered best about the wedding, aside from the sheer bliss of having been finally joined with Soi Fon in matrimony, were the presents.

The wedding gifts ranged from the practical to the strange and back again. Yoruichi found herself getting a lot of pet products, such as high-quality cat food from Inoue Orihime, or a cat-bed from Shuuhei Hisagi. Soi Fon got sparring products, such as ointment for bruises from Isane Kotetsu or a lacquered boken from Sajin Komamura. They got cat-shaped honey-flavored lollypops from Yachiru Kusajishi, a double-sided marital aid from Rangiku Matsumoto, and some fairly interesting "literature" from Kisuke. From Kenpachi Zaraki they received an oddly-shaped rock that he claimed was a sculpture of the two of them, though it looked like he had merely hit it with his sword. From Toshiro Hitsugaya, in what was an apparent attempt to get "something different," they received a puppy. From Captain and Lieutenant Kurotsuchi, a clone that Mayuri affectionately dubbed "Good Nemu," a fully-functioning clone of Nemu that he attested "had all the annoying bits ironed out." He grumbled about some legal restriction or other preventing him from giving away Lieutenant Nemu and letting him keep the new one.

As Rangiku had predicted, however, the biggest gift came from Marechiyo Omaeda. He approached the newlyweds at one point, blubbering like a small child, his face covered in a distasteful mixture of tears and snot.

"What did you _do_ to him, Soi Fon?" Yoruichi asked, wondering what abuse Soi had subjected her Lieutenant to in order to put him into this state.

"I didn't do anything," Soi Fon said. "I would rather have not invited him at all, but _look_ at him," she said, speaking about Omaeda as if he wasn't there. "He was this pathetic when he asked for an invitation."

"I just…" Omaeda began. "Weddings… so beautiful, I… bwah huh huh," he began crying profusely, withdrawing a handkerchief and blowing messily into it. "My Captain… Lady Yoruichi… so beautiful…" he said between sobs, then blew his nose again.

"Here gift," he said, as if he had lost the ability to form sentences. He reached (with his clean hand) and handed the two women a folder filled with paperwork.

It was a set of blueprints. An artist's rendering was in the folder as well, a picture of two-story house, to be built over top of the current Squad Two Headquarters. The first floor included bigger office space, a kitchen, a dojo, and hot springs, while the second floor was composed of two bedrooms, with a large master suite with an impressively large walk-in closet.

"Family pay for it," Omaeda said in his grammatically-poor speech. "Hope you love it." He then began crying again.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Soi Fon said, honest gratitude in her voice.

"Oh Captain!" Omaeda bawled, then lunged forward to hug Soi Fon with his snotty hands. Soi Fon stepped aside and delivered a roundhouse kick.

"Stay away from Yoruichi-sama with your snotty hands!"

**Author's Note:** _Holy crap this was a long one. Oddly enough, however, I wrote it very quickly, the result of extensive brainstorming while I was writing another story on deviantart, with help from SoldierG6543-2. One notes, of course, that I have gone quite out of order, and that is deliberate. The only thing that will go in order is the "frame" for the story, whereas in chapter 1 they were waking up, now Soi is off to get breakfast while Yoruichi dresses, and the puzzle cinches together._

_If you managed to fight your way through 7000-plus words. You owe it to both me and yourself to Review! Do it do it do it do it!_


	3. 2 Cohabitation

The Second Thing: Cohabitation

"So what is on the division menu this morning?"

"Tofu and rice," Soi Fon said as she turned to shut the kitchen shoji behind her, which was a difficult task bearing a breakfast bowl in each hand. "They had omelets earlier, but since _somebody_ kept me in past normal breakf-" Soi Fon stopped dead as she turned to look at Yoruichi, who was seated at the dining room table.

"Well?" Yoruichi asked, quite pleased by the look of shock on Soi Fon's face. "It does go with your haori."

"But you haven't worn it… since that day…" Soi Fon stammered.

"Almost 19 years ago," Yoruichi finished.

"Your wedding kimono…" Soi Fon breathed, looking at her wife in the outfit in which they had gotten married, snowy white with elaborate golden designs traced throughout it; it seemed almost too beautiful to be in their dining room. "Yes, that should be acceptable," she said, snapping out of her reminiscence and returning to business.

"What, no time for memories?" Yoruichi asked teasingly.

"Not when we're so far behind schedule. Here," she added, setting the bowl on the table in front of Yoruichi.

"Itadakimasu," both women said, bowing briefly before digging into their food. Both ate quickly and silently for a time, before Yoruichi decided to liven things up.

"Hah!" she shouted, jabbing her chopsticks into Soi Fon's bowl towards a chunk of tofu. Or at least, that had been her intention.

"We do not have time for this," Soi Fon said, her chopsticks blocking Yoruichi's own from their goal.

"It'll only take time if you resist," Yoruichi replied, smiling across the table at her wife.

"I will not allow rule-breaking in my house," Soi Fon said, though she smiled in return and swiped her chopsticks, forcing Yoruichi's away from her.

"_Your_ house?" Yoruichi said, stabbing towards Soi Fon's bowl again. "It was a wedding gift, remember?"

Two pairs of chopsticks clashed multiple times in rapid succession between them as Soi Fon continued the conversation. "Yes, but it is also the headquarters of Squad Two and the Onmitsukido," she said. "Making it my house." Soi Fon then grabbed directly into her bowl with her other hand and shoveled the contents into her mouth with a few swipes. "Done," she said.

"You cheater!" Yoruichi replied, aghast at Soi Fon's willingness to stoop to poor table manners.

"The last one to finish eating does the dishes," Soi Fon said in reply. "I'll be in the bathroom, make sure to not get any water on your kimono," she added, standing to leave.

Yoruichi stuck her tongue out at Soi Fon's retreating figure petulantly, though afterwards she smiled. Some things about living with her Little Bee never changed. Some things did, of course, most notably their house. It was a simple, mathematical fact that living together with Soi Fon was now much easier than it had been 20 years ago…

~~0000~~

In the grey morning, a slim figure extricated herself from the grasp of another, sliding out of a disorganized futon and standing up.

"Mmm…" the figure that remained on the futon moaned, only slightly stirring from her slumber. "Time s'it?" she said incoherently.

"It is 0445 hours, Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fon said as she proceeded over to her bureau. "I have early-morning exercises to conduct."

"Mmmuhh…" Yoruichi's low moan caused a shiver to run down Soi Fon's spine as the Goddess of Flash arched her back and sat up in the futon. She yawned broadly as she sat there, naked. "What else is on the schedule for the day?" she asked.

"Drills," Soi Fon replied, turning while she dressed to look at Yoruichi. "Many drills to test various capabilities." Yoruichi frowned, knowing that "drills," as opposed to "training," meant a lot of paperwork; progress reports on the aggregate fighting abilities of the squad.

"Sounds fun," Yoruichi said. "So… same time next week?"

"No," Soi Fon said flatly. Yoruichi's face fell; every week like clockwork for the past few months they would get together, with Soi Fon either coming to Karakura Town or Yoruichi going to the Squad Two headquarters, for a date and a night of passion. Predictable as it was, Yoruichi had grown quite fond of it.

"Why not?" Yoruichi asked.

"Because I was thinking…" Soi Fon trailed off, now turning away from Yoruichi. Yoruichi just knew she was hiding a delicious blush from her, and her heart leapt at what she thought was coming next. "…that you should move in with me. If you want to, of course," she added hastily, still looking away from Yoruichi.

"Now what's brought this on all of a sudden?" Yoruichi asked, though she was overjoyed to hear Soi Fon ask that.

"My schedule makes it hard for us to spend time together," Soi Fon said, turning back towards Yoruichi with a subtle blush on her cheeks. "But I… I want to spend as much time as I can with you. This seems like the sensible solution," she added, beginning to recover her composure.

"And you're not willing to go give up all this and spend a life of fame and fortune in the Urahara Shop?" Yoruichi teased. "Wait, what am I thinking?" she said smacking herself on the forehead, "the onsen!" she said, referring to the one exceptional luxury of the Squad Two barracks. "Hell, I should have asked to move in with you a long time ago."

"You mean… you want to do it?" Soi Fon.

"Of course, silly Bee," Yoruichi said, standing up and stepping towards Soi Fon. "I want to be as close to you as you'll let me be," she said, embracing Soi Fon in a gentle hug which Soi Fon returned. "So when can you pencil me in?" she asked.

"You sound like you're already ready to move," Soi Fon said, sounding confused. "Don't you need time to get your things together?"

"Nah," Yoruichi said. "I had most of the stuff I wanted to keep moved off of the Shihoin Estate a few years back, before the Winter War. With a bit of help, I could move in as soon as possible."

Soi Fon seemed to think about it for a second. "I guess it will be the same time next week, then," she said. "If I work hard, I can stretch the scheduled half-day into a full day off. Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.

Yoruichi flicked her on the forehead. "You don't need to ask that," she said.

~00~

"Moving in together? Congratulations," Kukaku Shiba said, managing a laugh before she took another swig of sake.

"What's so funny?" Yoruichi asked suspiciously. She had stopped by the Shiba place to use the Senkaimon that they had once been entitled to as one of the great noble families, and still kept even though they no longer were, but of course Kukaku insisted on sharing a drink with her, even if it was only 11:00 in the morning.

"Irony," Kukaku said, taking a long draught of the drink. "Sweeeet irony," she sighed. "I don't know how many times I heard you bitch about it over the years, about how yer family was always tryin' to get you married off to some snob who would take your titles while you settled in for a new life of gettin' fucked and poppin' out babies, and now you're gettin' hitched with someone who already took two o' yer three titles, so you can settle down for a life of fuckin' with her."

"Getting hitched, now?" Yoruichi said, taking a sip of her drink. "I didn't say anything about marriage."

"Semantics," Kukaku said shortly. "If you're fucking your roommate, then you're married."

"Who knows," Yoruichi said. "Soi Fon might want to get married some day, but this is a big enough step for now."

"It's the same damn thing," Kukaku insisted. "But you're right about it bein' a big step, kiddo. You never really know a person 'till you lived with them."

"And how would you know that?" Yoruichi asked with a mischievous grin.

"You took yer hundred-year break, and… it's not important," Kukaku said, seeming flustered all of a sudden, her face flushed with more than the alcohol. Yoruichi filed a mental note for _matters to inquire into later_. "Look, I ain't tryin' to dick with your relationship or anything, I'm just saying. You'll get problems you didn't know you had."

"I found out I was a lesbian, my future girlfriend tried to kill me, and it turned out I was capable of feeling love," Yoruichi said, rolling her eyes on the last point. "This whole thing has been one long run of me dealing with problems I didn't know I had."

"Whatever," Kukaku replied. "Just don't come by askin' me to babysit if one of you manages to get les-preggers."

"I'm sure everyone trusts you with their kids," Yoruichi said, eying Kukaku's wooden arm. "But how would you like to help me move my stuff into the Squad Two barracks next Tuesday?"

"Can't you get help from Kisuke?" Kukaku groaned, not liking this idea in the slightest, and yet certain that the oh-so-overrated bonds of "friendship" would compel her to somehow contribute.

"I'll need someone on the World of the Living side to monitor the Cleaner," Yoruichi said. "It was easier moving the stuff out of Soul Society, since the Cleaner doesn't run the other way, but if I'm moving it this way, it'll be a problem. I'd like to keep my stuff, thank you."

"I'll just loan ya Ganju," Kukaku said, seeing a way out of the friendship trap. "He and his pig'll do a better job of moving your shit than me."

"Can I really rely on him?" Yoruichi asked, picturing Ganju and his pet boar tearing through the Precipice World.

"Sure, sure," Kukaku said. "He's a worthless, layabout dumbfuck, but he is my little bro. Besides," Kukaku said, picking up her wooden arm with her good arm. "You really want me doin' heavy lifting with this?"

"Point taken," Yoruichi conceded.

~00~

On the far end of the vast training grounds that lay hidden under the Urahara Shop, a number of buildings were arrayed. The largest of these was Kisuke's laboratory-in-exile, a facility far less organized and comprehensive than the Research and Development Society found in Seireitei, but with secrets just as potent. Beside it stood a small house which looked to be significantly newer than Kisuke's lab. This place had been constructed as a storehouse for all the worldly possessions that Yoruichi Shihoin wished to lay claim to.

The newness of the construction was explained by the fact that, for all practical purposes, Yoruichi herself was a new resident of the Urahara Shop. After their flight from Soul Society a hundred years ago, Yoruichi had remained in Karakura Town for around two months, retained by her concern for the wellbeing of those who became the Visoreds. Once they had clearly recovered from the injuries sustained during Hollowfication, Yoruichi quickly fled her new locale, taking on cat form and going out to see the world.

Contrary to what Soi Fon had suspected, Yoruichi had not enjoyed leaving Soul Society with Kisuke, not in the slightest. She remained civil with Kisuke, even though she believed that he was as much to blame for their exile as Aizen and his co-conspirators, given that the dangerous experiments he had been tampering with had inadvertently provided Aizen with the tools and know-how to begin his insidious Hollowfication experiments. She knew Kisuke had suffered in their departure as well, not simply from the forfeiture of his titles, but from the Hollowfication of his comrades, especially his one-time Lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki, and this cooled her wrath to the point where she understood that he was going through much the same grief that she was.

However, Yoruichi had been angry when she left Karakura Town. Not angry at Kisuke, nor indeed even particularly angry at Aizen, merely angry at the situation in general. The Goddess of Flash was not the kind of woman to unduly wallow in anger or self-pity, however. In those first months together, she had also grudgingly helped Kisuke build new underground training areas, one for himself and one for the Visoreds, and Yoruichi had observed Kisuke build a new lab for himself to continue his research. She saw Kisuke trying to do what he loved, returning to his work as a scientist, and this gave Yoruichi pause. She realized that she couldn't do what she loved in this world; she couldn't return to her old life of fighting Hollows or whatever threat reared its ugly head. There was no doubt that she had been designated an outlaw, so she couldn't do anything that would draw attention to herself.

_Who am I? _This had been Yoruichi's thought at the time. Yoruichi realized almost all of her identity had been wrapped up in her titles: that at the fundamental level, Yoruichi Shihoin was the 22nd Head of the Shihoin Clan, the Captain of Squad Two and Commander of the Onmitsukdo, so who was she now that those titles were gone? Now that she was barred even from acting like a shinigami, what would she make of herself? Her wanderings attempted to answer that question. A century of exploring herself by witnessing others, usually as a cat, Occasionally coming out of her shell (such as her exploration of her homosexuality) yielded no answers.

She had almost been grateful when Rukia Kuchiki had been arrested. By some coincidence, Yoruichi had been in the Kurile Islands returning by a northern route from one of her longest trips yet when she felt Byakuya's spiritual pressure in distant Karakura Town, then returned home all the more quickly and got involved.

In the time between the Kuchiki Incident and the Winter War, Yoruichi had been in fairly regular contact with Soul Society. She was also compelled to remain in the vicinity of Karakura Town, having her old purpose in life somewhat restored by the great threat posed by Aizen and the Arrancar. She now evenly split her time between human and cat, having gotten quite used to the advantages of the form, and in those days she spent a good deal of time wandering around Soul Society as a cat, and far too much time slinking around a certain squad's barracks in her feline form.

As a human, however, Yoruichi had tried to pick up some of the pieces of her old life. She had spent a long time with materialism, and a good deal of time living the life of an ascetic, and in the time surrounding the Aizen Affair, she tried to bridge the gap between both lifestyles, having some of her old personal possessions moved off of the Shihoin Estate and into Kisuke's basement, and beginning to build a new collection of stuff in the World of the Living, even as she spent much of her free time as a cat. She acquired some new hobbies from Kisuke and the kids, discovering the joys of television, the internet, and video games, though once again she found herself unable to find any one thing that she felt really defined who she was as a person.

Yoruichi sighed wistfully as she gazed at the contents of her storehouse. _This is all the great Yoruichi Shihoin is left with,_ she thought. It was a fair collection of stuff, however. Half of the small building was filled with hangers that bore various outfits of diverse origins, and the other half had her collection of art. Yoruichi favored sculptures, specifically, liking the idea of something that could capture a single moment of action and preserve it in all its grandeur. She reached out and touched a sculpture of a cat, a sculpture about as tall as she was, a black cat with golden eyes with its claws bared at some invisible threat. This sculpture looked like her, but it was not her, it did not define who she was. None of this stuff did, really.

_And now you're gettin' hitched to someone who already took two o' yer three titles, so you can settle down for a life of fuckin' with her._

There was indeed an irony in her situation, as Kukaku had pointed out. Was she really fated, come hell or high water, to end up merely as the wife and lover of the Captain of Squad Two and Commander of the Onmitsukido? Was she meant ultimately to be a woman who lived a life subordinate to another?

It was easier for her to say that she was defined by her love for Soi Fon than to say she was defined by the stuff she owned, but still, the fact that she could end up simply as the housewife to someone more important than her did not sit well with her. She was more than just "Soi Fon's woman." She had to be.

It wasn't important. This stuff was her past, Soi Fon was her future, and Yoruichi would see the twain brought together to see if the real Yoruichi Shihoin could be found somewhere in between.

~00~

Soi Fon paced back and forth across the main courtyard of the Squad Two barracks nervously, her haori billowing behind her in the morning breeze. Tuesday, 10:00 am, her day off, and the barracks were completely devoid of life. She had ordered the various groups within Onmitsukido to engage in different training exercises offsite, with Omaeda doing the same for Squad Two, leading to an environment free and clear of interference for her Yoruichi-sama to move in with her.

Her heart thumped madly in her chest, her palms were once again aggravatingly sweaty, and she was rather irritated with herself for being so nervous like this. This wasn't like having sex with Yoruichi, or like declaring her love for the other woman, this was, arguably, ground she had already tread before. As Yoruichi's bodyguard, she had spent a good deal of time "living" with the other woman, long before she had even identified that what she felt for the former Gundanchou was "love." Things would be a little different this time, as now both women were indeed certain of their love for one another, and they would be sleeping in the same bed, but the whole idea of living together was not completely out of Soi Fon's experience. If the once-virgin Soi Fon had managed to conquer sex (and re-conquer it again and again and again), then she could do something as simple as living together once again with her Yoruichi-sama.

She was thinking about how ludicrous it was. Living together was easy; sex was a much bigger step. Why, as a rule, did relationships tackle sex before cohabitation? Unless the difficulty of sex was meant to prove deeper compatibility between two individuals meaning that they were more likely to tolerate living…

A specially-programmed Senkaimon suddenly opened up in front of her, interrupting her thoughts. The levitating shoji slid open and Yoruichi leapt out, a jaunty grin on her face and an overnight bag slung over one shoulder. "Yo, Soi Fon," Yoruichi greeted, smiling. "Are you ready to get this started?"

"Yes," Soi Fon said, though in her mind she was wondering. Could her Yoruichi-sama really have packed so lightly?

Yoruichi provided the answer for her. "Alright," she turned and yelled into the shoji, "bring her on through!"

"Yeah, yeah," a rough male voice came back. "Come on, Bonnie. A bit more and you can rest." From the white light of the Senkaimon emerged Ganju Shiba, Kukaku's younger brother, riding his giant pet boar, Bonnie. The poor pig looked exhausted, and the cause of its exhaustion was soon apparent. Behind it, the pig dragged a hover-cart (patented property of the Urahara Shop), as long as a trailer for one of the semi-trucks that Soi Fon had heard tell of in the World of the Living. Upon the trailer were a number of large trunks, as well as bits and pieces of art including sculptures and pottery.

"Y-Yoruichi-sama…" Soi Fon breathed, gazing at the trailer as its length finally emerged from the Senkaimon and Ganju's pig collapsed on the pavement. It was then that the real problem of having Yoruichi move in with her dawned on Soi Fon. In the past, they had occupied separate rooms in the palatial Shihoin Estate, Soi Fon's being much smaller than Yoruichi's. Now, however, they would be sharing Soi Fon's single, small apartment that sat in abutment to Squad Two headquarters.

A few hours later, Yoruichi was also fully aware of the big problem she would confront as Soi Fon's live-in girlfriend. Yoruichi had thought she had chosen a lifestyle that was a happy medium between rampant materialism and asceticism, but she had somehow forgotten that her Little Bee definitely lived the life of an ascetic.

One of Soi Fon's bigger accomplishments, one that Yoruichi had never really gotten around to praising her for, had been her ability to complete the union of Squad Two and the Onmitsukido. In Yoruichi's time, the two groups had had two separate barracks, fairly far apart from one another in the grand scheme of Seireitei, but one of Soi Fon's earlier achievements as commander of both groups was to level the Squad Two barracks and have the whole thing rebuilt as a combined barracks for both groups, a process achieved by more careful use of the allotted space (and by the Omaeda family's money). In her time, Yoruichi had had quarters for herself about equal in size to the kind of accommodations other Captains lived in, nowhere near as lavish as the Shihoin Estate, but a comfortable home for herself away from the Estate. Soi Fon, however, had opted to give herself much less living space than her cohorts, or indeed slightly less than what was normal for most Lieutenants, but rather on the level of what lower seated officers usually lived in.

Soi Fon lived in what was functionally a one-room apartment, a long room that extended back behind her office, across the back of Squad Two headquarters. The Headquarters' reception room had more square footage, and more furniture, than Soi's own personal quarters. It wasn't as though Soi was particularly cramped: she had her own kitchen, with a small table for dining, a desk to do work that she didn't feel like doing on her office desk, a bureau, a futon, and a door leading into a small bathroom that itself linked to one of the barracks' luxurious underground onsen. There was enough space in her room for her to move around freely, and enough room for Yoruichi to spend the night occasionally, but that was about it. Now, however…

"So, what do you think?" Yoruichi asked.

"It is tolerable," Soi Fon said. The two of them had agreed that it wouldn't be proper for Yoruichi to put any of her stuff anywhere in the Squad Two Headquarters except for Soi Fon's private quarters, since Yoruichi was no longer a part of Squad Two or the Onmitsukido. A short debate between the two of them had led to a compromise on Yoruichi's art collection, whereby Soi Fon would record the art as "charitable donations" to Squad Two, and they could place it in the Squad Two Reception room to give it a bit of color and flavor. It was easy enough to convince Soi Fon to bend the rules in that case, since a few of the sculptures and paintings were of black cats. Keeping the art out of Soi Fon's private quarters had indeed kept things "tolerable," but Yoruichi's other possessions, her clothes, her books, and her own small desk with a computer, now filled every inch of free space in the room. Yoruichi had set up one bureau next to Soi's bureau, and she had bought a double-wide futon just for the two of them, but aside from a tiny corridor leading from the dining area to the bedroom area, the rest was occupied by crates and trunks for Yoruichi's clothes, with one trunk almost completely blocking access to the fully-stocked bookshelf that stood next to the wall.

_I want to be as close to you as you'll let me be._ Yoruichi smiled bitterly; more irony for her to ponder. She framed her smile as an honest one, although she was now frowning internally, positive that Soi Fon was not being honest about this. If they lived like this for any amount of time, it would be a complete disaster, but Yoruichi was willing to tolerate it for now, believing that some new solution would present itself in the next day or two, even if she had to resort to moving some her clothes back onto the Shihoin Estate, something she very much wished to avoid because of the awkward questions that would arise about why she was suddenly moving back into Soul Society. She had a fair idea that her parents, at least, had their suspicions about their daughter's relationship with the woman that had usurped the family's age-old position, and did not want to feed into those suspicions.

Any further awkwardness was avoided that night, however. Soi Fon and Yoruichi were both exhausted with the mental and physical stresses of the moving day, and so both fell right asleep, quietly and without complaint, both women finding their new futon quite tempting for reasons other than sex for once.

The next three days passed by uneventfully. The two girlfriends found time for one another at the end of the day, though Soi Fon's busy schedule meant that Yoruichi had a lot of time to herself, time that she could not fill with the material distractions that had helped her kill time back at the Urahara Shop. She had her computer, of course, but the content available on Soul Society's internet was sad and paltry compared to the Living World, providing her with little amusement. Instead Yoruichi found herself wandering aimlessly, but there were few enough people to talk to: everyone was busy. Indeed, Soi Fon's subordinates seemed so busy that they never even acknowledged Yoruichi's presence, and her friends among the Gotei 13 all had work of their own, so she could only see them irregularly. The Goddess of Flash found herself growing bored, vaguely feeling as if she were tethered to Soi Fon, a possession of the other woman which, when not being used directly by her, lay idle.

Beyond Yoruichi's vague discomfort lay more material concerns, namely the stiflingly crowded conditions in their apartment. Yoruichi did not spend much time in the apartment during the day, but the problem of space was made painfully clear to her on the third night. Their futon shifted amidst the throes of passion and Yoruichi banged her head on one of the trunks of clothes that surrounded their futon. She didn't care about it too much at the time, more intent on her Little Bee's body than her own, but she woke up with a headache the following day and knew that something had to be done about all the stuff in their room. It was a chance not only for Yoruichi to solve a problem, but to give her something to do and prove her worth in her new role as an impromptu homemaker. Plus, it was a problem that Yoruichi knew just how to solve.

~00~

_This has to be a trap._ Marechiyo Omaeda was often accused by many people of being obscenely dim, but the man had grown into his role as a division officer within the Onmitsukido and as Lieutenant of Squad Two, so he had his fair share of battle instinct, and even so, this was a trap that should have been fairly obvious to anyone.

His Captain was out for the day, leading a new round of training exercises out in Rukongai while he was allotted the day's round of paperwork. He had been returning from the First Division with some documents when he spotted the trap, a lure sitting out in the open and plain as day in the reception room of Squad Headquarters. A number of orange safety cones had been scattered around, and in the midst of them stood Yoruichi Shihoin, the woman his Captain was probably having sex with (though he had good reasons for not trying to verify that one way or the other). The legendary Goddess of Flash was wearing her normal orange outfit, though she had a hardhat on over her head, and in her hands she bore a shovel, with which she was digging a hole straight through the floor. Her hole was about waist deep, and she seemed fairly intent on it before she noticed him.

_Don't look don't look don't look don't look._ The trap was plain as day. There was the possibility that it wasn't even Yoruichi; that his Captain had discovered some new means of disguising herself and had taken on Yoruichi's form in order to test his resolve. Though on second thought, his Captain wouldn't do something as sacrilegious as impersonate her beloved Yoruichi-sama, so this was probably the real article. He looked at her in spite of himself, though he pretended to only casually notice her, as if he intended on passing on through without speaking to her.

He saw her frown, seeming disapproval at him having ignored her. It couldn't hurt to just say hello, right? His dad had always said she had been a nice enough boss, which made it all the more odd that she could have trained the Queen Bitch of the Universe. But his Captain wasn't around, at least as far as Omaeda's senses could tell him. Against his better judgment, he stopped walking and spoke.

"What are you doing?" Omaeda asked. He cringed momentarily, waiting for his Captain to jump out of hiding, to spring the trap.

"Digging a hole," Yoruichi said. "Were you trying to ignore me?"

"Why do you ask?" Omaeda said, making a great effort to sound polite, given the rule he was violating.

"You're the fifth person who's come through here and deliberately tried to ignore me," Yoruichi said. "I figured I would get some sort of response with this," she added, motioning with the shovel.

"Orders," Omaeda grunted, as if the word itself would summon his Captain out of the ether. "We're not supposed to interfere with you at all."

"Who?" Yoruichi said, though she frowned. Something like this seemed natural for Soi Fon, but at the same time it didn't sit right with her.

"All of us. Squad Two, the Onmitsukido, everyone on the barracks."

"So she didn't want anyone talking to me after I moved in?"

"You're living with her now?" Omaeda said, looking around the room slowly. "I guess that's where all this art came from…" He began to calm somewhat, feeling that his Captain was indeed not present. "But she didn't tell us you were movin' in. That's a standing order from way back. What's the hole for?" he asked.

"Storage space," Yoruichi said. "Soi and I agreed that we shouldn't use official Squad Two space for my personal stuff, so it's all crammed in her, our apartment," she corrected herself. "Kisuke Urahara and I built a couple underground areas for training and storage in the past, so I figured I'd borrow some of his tools and put one of those in right here."

"You're digging a basement all by yourself?" Omaeda asked incredulously.

"It's not too hard," Yoruichi assured him. "Not like I need to make a big underground area, just a nice big closet for my stuff. It's a special shovel, too," she said, stepping out of the hole and offering the shovel to Omaeda for inspection. He held it in his hands and felt it drawing at him; the object was more like a Zanpakto and less like an ordinary shovel. "It runs off the user's spiritual pressure, making cutting through whatever a cinch." She grabbed the shovel back from him and jumped back into the hole. "I should have this done in a day or two." Effortlessly she dipped the shovel into the earth and pulled it up, carefully setting the dirt in a pile next to the hole in the floorboards.

"How are you gonna get rid of all the dirt?" Omaeda asked.

"Bakudo," Yoruichi replied. "Has to be some spell that'll do the trick." She returned to her work, clearly intent on ending the conversation, which was quite fine with Omaeda; he had been given a good deal for his brain to mull over.

Omaeda's brain scrambled over numerous facts as he walked to his Captain's office, pondering the ins and outs of what having the Shihoin living here now might mean for him, mostly trying to figure out whether this would be a good thing or a bad thing. He could not escape a new feeling of dread, distinct from his fear that Yoruichi's odd project was a trap set by his Captain, but somehow related to what she was up to. Digging. Under the Squad Two headquarters. With a shovel that could easily cut through things.

He scattered the documents he was holding around the anteroom to his Captain's office as he turned around and stampeded back to the reception room.

"Wait!" he shouted as his bulky body tore through the shoji into the reception room, but it was too late.

A whirlwind of steam, scalding water, and the Goddess of Flash who outran it, saving the Lieutenant from being boiled alive…

~00~

"So it's not his fault?"

"No, Soi Fon, it's not his fault."

Soi Fon continued to glare at Omaeda, who cowered where he stood in his soaked and muddied clothes. He had been quite afraid that he would be blamed for this, and for his other transgression, for having spoken to Yoruichi, but there seemed to be some tension in the air. His Captain seemed almost distracted, not quite as intent upon belittling him as she usually was. He knew, of course, that there was something special between them, a blind rabbit could have seen that much, but he had really been unaware of the depth of it until he saw her conduct now. If there was someone who would never change, it was his Captain, so this amounted to something of a big deal. Mostly, however, he was grateful that her wrath seemed to be averted for the moment.

For her part, Soi Fon did not know what to think. Part of her found this whole situation almost humorous: bring her Yoruichi-sama home and the first thing she does is dig a hole through the floor of the reception room and burst a hot water line, ruining the entire reception room. One of the parts of Yoruichi that Soi Fon loved, the part that was wild and free and did what she wanted, it was expected that that part of her would do such things, flashy and irresponsible. The practical part of Soi Fon's mind was angry, because of the destruction to her headquarters. Not angry at Yoruichi per se, but angry that the destruction had occurred. A third part of her, deep down but less deep than Soi Fon would have liked, resented the fact that Yoruichi had so carelessly interfered with her life, wondering if she shouldn't regret having invited Yoruichi to live with her.

"You're dismissed," Soi Fon said instead. Omaeda scampered off, grateful that he had gotten off the hook and now well aware of the strange emotional tension that seemed to be building in his Captain.

"Why did you do it?" Soi Fon said, managing to keep her voice neutral to balance the conflicting emotions within her.

"I told you already," Yoruichi said, "I wanted to put a basement in for my clothes and things to get it out of your room." She caught her slip of the tongue only after she said it.

"Not that," Soi Fon replied. "Why do it yourself? We could have talked it over, and ordered some workmen to come."

"Because I could, I suppose," Yoruichi said. Soi Fon frowned, one of her suspicions being confirmed. "I mean, what else was I going to do?" It was a casual observation, but as soon as Yoruichi said it, she realized she meant it a lot more strongly than that.

"You could have waited!" Soi Fon said, her voice rising in spite of herself.

"Waited," Yoruichi said. "Waited and just sat around in your apartment, have nobody to talk to and just be your nice little housewife?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Soi Fon fired back. "You never take anything seriously!"

This display was bad for both of them. They were standing out in front of the Squad Two Headquarters building, and there were a number of Shinigami about, assessing the damage to the front of the building, well within earshot. Neither cared, however, caught in their spontaneous lovers' quarrel.

"And you take everything too seriously!" Yoruichi returned. "I can't put my stuff anywhere else, and gods forbid if I try to talk to anyone in your squad!"

"I… no…" Soi Fon said, beginning to see the real problems Yoruichi confronted. "That wasn't what that was meant for, Yoruichi-sama, I thought you wouldn't want to be bothered."

"I'm sure as hell bothered if I have nobody to talk to!" Yoruichi said, building up a solid headwind of frustration. "I wasn't supposed to end up a housewife," she said, lowering her voice suddenly as she sobered. "Locked in some guy's house, separate from everyone while he goes out and has a life. I'm not even a wife; I'm just a housecat, pretty and pampered and useless," she ended bitterly. Her tone softened throughout the diatribe, however, sliding from anger and bitterness to sudden sadness.

"Maybe it was too early for us to try this…" Soi Fon said, now sounding sad herself. "I always try to be so prepared for everything, I should have known about your problems. I wasn't ready."

Seeing her Little Bee's disappointment in herself brought Yoruichi back down to earth, as a nugget of wisdom, passed on from a friend, came back to her. "It's okay," she said, stepping over to Soi Fon and hugging her. "You can never predict what will happen when 2 people start living together," she said.

"But if this hurts our relationship…" Soi Fon began.

"We'll make sure it doesn't," Yoruichi said, loosening the embrace and smiling warmly at her Little Bee. "You tried to kill me once, remember?" She saw Soi Fon's face instantly fall. "No, now, don't start feeling bad about that," Yoruichi said. "The point is if we could learn to love each other after that, and after being apart for a hundred years, if we could learn to declare our love, muster up the courage to have sex with each other, then we can learn to be roommates."

"That does sound reasonable," Soi Fon said.

"I'm sorry for destroying your reception room," Yoruichi said, leaning in to kiss Soi Fon.

"And I'm sorry for- _mph_!" Soi Fon's apology was cut off by Yoruichi's mouth which fastened, softly yet firmly, to her lips, drawing her into a slow, passionate kiss.

"Mph!" Soi Fon protested again, her face running beet-red as she realized she was kissing her Yoruichi-sama in front of her subordinates. Still bound by the old rule, however, the subordinates did not see much, though Soi Fon's muted moans, so uncharacteristic for their Captain and Commander, inspired their imaginations to fill in the gaps.

They pulled apart again, with Soi Fon's blush diminishing as the Captain returned to the matter at hand. She stepped away from Yoruichi and towards the ruined front of the Headquarters. The damage was less severe than it could have been, with good fortune on their side, Yoruichi had struck one of the hot-water mains that supplied the Squad Two onsen, but struck it in such a way that the spray of hot-water shot first straight upwards, and then forwards, towards the front of the building rather than into the back, meaning that merely the reception room and the front door were damaged, rather than all of the office space and officers' apartments. Some of Yoruichi's art had been ruined, but most of it, with a good deal of careful cleaning, could be restored. Soi Fon knew that one thing had to change, however.

"Squad Two will have to renovate the reception room," she declared, "but this time, there will be closet-space. Enough for everyone who calls this place home," she said, looking at Yoruichi.

~00~

"What is this?" Izuru Kira asked, examining the paper in front of him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a circular for the paper," Shuuhei Hisagi replied. "If a Captain requests that we put out information in our paper, we must do so. Find somewhere where it'll fit in."

**Kitty and Hornet's Home Renovation Safety Tips!**

_Remember, Seireitei residents, if you want to dig anywhere, stop and think! Do you know what's underneath your feet? Call the Bureau of Utilities before you dig!_

Kira stared at the fanciful pictures of a little black cat followed around by a small hornet which seemed to be scolding the cat.

"We could call it a comic strip…"

**Author's Note:** _Lot's of writer's block of late, which delayed both this and one of my deviantart projects, as well as the glories of job-hunting when you discover that college has left you with no marketable skills. This chapter in particular stinks of one of those "middle" chapters, so it was hard for me to approach it in a way that didn't seem schizophrenic, and yet also would still be interesting. Goes from Yoruichi's perspective and attempts to look into Yoruichi's insecurities about her lack of identity. Spoiler alert: these problems will return to haunt the chapter on marriage proposal._


	4. 5 Conception

The Fifth Thing: Conception

Soi Fon returned to the kitchen, finding Yoruichi's wedding kimono lying in a crumpled heap on the tatami mats of the dining area. _Not again…_ "Yoruichi-sama?" she inquired.

"Hold on," came a gruff voice from the recessed area beyond the counter.

"We have to get going, what's taking so long?"

"I got soap in my fur."

Soi Fon slapped a palm to her face. "How did you get soap on your fur?" She asked, stepping behind the range to find a black cat assiduously cleaning itself, licking the back of a paw and then rubbing that paw all over its face.

"You warned me not to get any on my wedding kimono," the cat said in a pause between licks. "See? No wedding kimono."

"But we have to get going," Soi Fon insisted, exasperation creeping into her voice. "How long will it take you to get that kimono back on?"

"Relax," Yoruichi said. "I'm the Goddess of Flash. You can go on ahead if you think you need the extra time."

A vein flickered in Soi Fon's forehead. "We have to get going," she repeated. "Together. What's wrong with soap?"

"It gets all in my fur, and even when I transform back, I feel all itchy. You don't know what it's like being all soapy and lathery all day…" she added seductively before she returned to licking.

Soi Fon cringed. Cat-Yoruichi's voice did not lend itself to seduction very well, though an image sprang unbidden to Soi Fon's mind. In an odd way, it was a relevant image not only to the conversation, but to today's big event.

"Hah!" Yoruichi said as she popped back into her human form. "I know what you're thinking of, naughty Soi Fon."

"Well, you're wrong," Soi Fon said as a fringe of red bloomed into her cheeks. Trying to avert her gaze from her wife's naked body, Soi Fon's eyes wandered over to the kitchen sink, finding that Yoruichi had gotten quite distracted indeed by the soap in her fur. "You didn't even do the dishes!" she said, her exasperation growing.

"How can I do dishes with cat paws?"

Soi Fon's forehead-vein throbbed anew, but then she sighed. Yes, Yoruichi had matured in their years together, but oftentimes it was quite hard to tell. "Just go to the bathroom to wash the soap out and then get dressed, Yoruichi-sama. I'll get the dishes."

Up to her elbows in soapy water as Yoruichi strode naked out of the room, Soi Fon fell back on the image that had sprung into her mind. Rather than her hands dipping into the warm, lathery water, she imagined her whole body dipping in, eager to pursue chocolaty decadence that belonged to her and her alone. That day had been a veritable endurance match of pleasure; a marathon that would have been grueling had it not been so sensuously delightful. That had been one merely of several days lost in similar pursuits. Their end-goal had not been mere marital bliss, however, but something much more substantive. They had succeeded in the end, but the journey had indeed been strange…

~~0000~~

"So? Go ahead."

"I'm not going to tell her, you tell her. This was your idea."

"How quickly we forget, _honey,_" the last word dripped with sarcastic emphasis. "Whatever happened to "I would like to have children with my wife, someday?"

"Correct, and if marriage is a partnership, I did my share of the work on this already. I saved your fertility from your family, so you go tell her."

"Ah, but you did that before we were married. Should that really count?"

"Fine, but you're going in with me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Yoruichi said, giving her wife a quick peck on the lips. Mustering their bravery, the two wives stepped beyond the doorway into the main office suite for Squad 4.

"Hello Captain Soi Fon, Shihoin-dono," they were greeted politely by Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu. "How may I help you?"

"May we speak with Captain Unohana?" Yoruichi asked.

"I'm sorry," Isane replied. "She's out at the moment, and I'm not sure when she'll…"

"I'm here, Isane," Unohana said, appearing through the door behind Yoruichi and Soi Fon, gliding in as mysteriously as ever. Soi Fon was silently impressed, as even she had not detected Unohana, legendary for her great reiatsu, on her approach. "Is there something I may help you with?"

"Could we…" Yoruichi began.

"We want to have a baby," Soi Fon said quickly, cutting her off and taking Yoruichi's hand in her own. Isane blushed, while Yoruichi's eyes widened in shock. Soi Fon knew herself, however. She knew it would be harder to spend more time dancing around the issue than to just drive straight to the heart of the matter, even if it was slightly inappropriate to talk about this in front of others. She had spent far too much time over the years struggling to spit things out, so even if she were taking it a little too far in the other direction, it was all for the better.

Unohana seemed to take the news in stride. "You do? Congratulations. I suppose you have come to me to ask me for opinions on how to do that?"

"Yes…" Yoruichi said distantly, still in slight shock over her Little Bee's conduct.

"Hmm…" Unohana pondered for a moment. "I'm afraid I have not given the matter much thought over the years. Lesbian couples usually do not wish for the visibility that a pregnancy would create, aside from the more… physical difficulties involved."

Soi Fon noticed out of the corner of her eye that Isane's blush was deepening. "Will you be able to help us?" she asked.

"I can certainly try," Unohana replied. "There are several options I have heard of, but they are mostly outside of my particular fields of expertise. Would you be willing to wait while I gathered some information on the matter?"

"Sure, that sounds good," Yoruichi said, having regained her composure.

"Have a nice day," Unohana said. The two Captains, the ex-Captain, and the Lieutenant all bowed before Yoruichi and Soi Fon left.

~00~

"Really? They want to have a baby? That's sooo cute!" Kiyone Kotetsu gushed. Isane and her little sister had gotten together for afternoon tea as they usually did when Isane had broken the news. She wasn't sure if Yoruichi and Soi Fon wanted the news to get out this quickly, but she could trust her little sister to be discreet, at least when it really mattered. "What's wrong, nee-san?" she said. "Aren't you happy for them?"

"I am, but…" Isane said, an odd look on her face.

"But what?" Kiyone seemed genuinely confused until it finally dawned on her. "Oh…" she said. "Are you still hung up about that? I told you I've forgiven her."

"She tried to kill you," Isane said, her face hardening again. "She seemed so remorseless, so cold. Could such a woman really become a wife and mother?"

"She already has become a wife," Kiyone pointed out. "And married a woman that she tried to kill the same day she tried to kill me. Maybe she was just looking for love that day…" she laughed at her own joke.

Isane did not find it funny. "All I remember is her standing over you with that look in her eyes. I mean, I know she was deceived by the same lie as the rest of us, and I've tried to forgive her because I can sympathize with her position, but I just can't forget the fact that she tried to take you away from me."

"You don't have to forget," Kiyone said. "Just don't hold it against her. She was doing what she thought was right, and with Yoruichi-dono's help, I was saved, and Captain Soi Fon learned that I was just doing what I thought was right, too."

"But don't you think she would do it again?" Isane said. "If she thought you were doing something wrong, wouldn't she still kill you without a second thought?"

"Probably," Kiyone replied. "But that's just the way she is; merciless towards law-breakers. Just because she can be a little overzealous in her job doesn't mean we should hate her, and hey, she fell in love with Yoruichi-dono even though she was an outlaw, so she's not without compassion. Be happy for her, nee-san. I know I am."

"I guess…" Isane said, mulling it over in her head. It was true that Soi Fon had, in her own way, grown into a much more tender woman over the four years since the Kuchiki affair, and on beyond the Winter War and the battle with the Vanden Reich. It was just hard to forgive anyone who had once tried to murder her sister, whatever justifications she may have had for trying. It was only fair to give Soi Fon a chance to really prove just how much she had changed, to watch the formerly-murderously-militant Captain of Squad Two become a mother. "I suppose it will be cute seeing her like that," she said.

"Her?" Kiyone said incredulously. "No way. Yoruichi'll be the one getting pregnant."

"Ah," Isane started. "I had always assumed that… well… Soi Fon was the woman…" she said slowly, her face turning a rather becoming shade of pink.

"And what makes you say that?" Kiyone asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I… er…" Isane began, now knowing full well that she had dug herself into a hole that it would be hard to escape from without becoming quite compromised indeed.

~00~

"I have completed analysis of the squad surveys on health concerns, Captain Soi Fon. Shall I take them to the 4th Division?"

"Yes," Soi Fon said, not bothering to look up from the peach she was peeling. "I trust that your work was as good as always, Nemu."

"Thank you, Captain," the purple-haired attendant said emotionlessly. She bowed and left Soi Fon to her cooking. The Captain of Squad Two had improved her skill the art in the time since her marriage, and was now preparing a peach that she would later freeze for use in homemade sorbet. The Captain of Squad Two and Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido, so long dedicated solely to her work, had grown and diversified as a person, and it was all thanks to a very peculiar wedding gift. The clone that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had affectionately dubbed "Good Nemu" had proven invaluable in reducing Soi Fon's workload, for in the emotionless, workaholic artificial woman Soi Fon had finally found someone she could trust to do clerical work with the precision and attention that she could normally only get from herself. With clerical work out of the way and Yoruichi coordinating much of the new recruit training, the two wives found time to spend together and to explore more of who they were and what they liked to do.

The only problem with Nemu was what to call her. As far as anyone could tell, she was indistinguishable from Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi in every way, though Mayuri had not bothered giving the new one his last name. Yoruichi had solved the "last name" problem by re-naming her "Nemu Shihoin" in a move that she believed (correctly) would aggravate her family in a fitting bit of spite for the Shihoin Clan's efforts to block the marriage, a move she was legally entitled to since she had been allowed to keep her last name, and because through the unique legal settings under which souls like Nemu fell, Mayuri's gift of her to them was tantamount to adoption. This did not change the fact of the first name, and that Nemu seemed to prefer being called by her designated name much like the original Nemu did. After much deliberation, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and everyone else involved decided they were heavily over-thinking this, instead resolving to refer to the original Nemu as "Lieutenant Kurotsuchi" if they had to differentiate between them. So Nemu remained, a familiar face of the new Squad Two headquarters, another wedding gift.

The problem with free time, of course, is that some people tend to spend it more poorly than others. Soi Fon heard a sharp _yipe_, the sound of an animal afraid or in pain, then heard the loud pattering of un-retractable claws followed by the far more subtle thump of padded paws through the lower level of the house and into the kitchen area. In rushed a dog, of a breed known as Shiba Inu with rusty red fur, followed swiftly by a black cat. The dog tore into the area of the kitchen behind the range, hiding behind Soi Fon's legs as the black cat stood on the other side, staring at the dog menacingly.

"Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fon chided, "please don't tease Kenichi. And Kenichi," she said, patting the dog on the head, "have more pride as a dog. Don't let her push you around."

"But it's so much fun," the cat said. There was a burst of smoke and Yoruichi appeared, naked as usual. "He's almost as much fun to tease as you are." Upon the appearance of Yoruichi, Kenichi barked, but began to wag his tail and went over to Yoruichi, who gave him a pat on the head as well. It was a testament to the stupidity of dogs that, although they had owned him for almost two years now, Kenichi still perceived Yoruichi and the black cat as two separate entities because they smelled differently, and while the cat was the bane of the dog's existence, Yoruichi was just another kind, loving owner. The two of them had grown to love the dog, despite how annoyed they had both been at Toshiro Hitsugaya for getting them the dog in the first place. Cat-Yoruichi had a friend she could play with (or torment, as was her wont) on her level, and both had another friendly face around the house.

"So what are you making?" Yoruichi asked, peering at the peach in front of Soi Fon.

"I'm peeling and cutting these peaches for homemade sorbet," Soi Fon replied. "Next I must mill my own ice cream to mix the peaches into." Much of cooking required diligence, patience, and hard work, and thus she found that a skill she had acquired out of necessity was very well-suited for her, relishing the monotonous parts of the recipes all the more.

"Well have fun with _that_," Yoruichi said. Like most laypersons, Yoruichi liked only the results of cooking, and not the task itself. "If you need me, I'll be looking for something to do."

"Isn't today supposed to be aptitude testing for the recruits?" Soi Fon asked. "Shouldn't you be preparing for that?"

"One of the other Onmitsukido officers got sick," Yoruichi said. "It's not something I can do on my own."

Soi Fon frowned. Even having Yoruichi and new Nemu around to help didn't change the fact that delays always seemed to creep up on her. "So what's Unohana doing?" she growled. "If she isn't helping us with our problems and isn't keeping my men healthy…"

Yoruichi chuckled. "I love it when you get petty." She moved in to kiss Soi Fon, fully aware of the fact that she was still naked.

As they kissed, Yoruichi saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "And speak of the devil," she said as a hell butterfly winged its way into the kitchen. Soi Fon held out a hand and the butterfly alighted upon it.

"Unohana is ready to help us," she said.

~00~

Growing up in a high noble household, one had to learn how to retain their dignity in all situations, even those that they found uncomfortable. In her own way, Yoruichi Shihoin had taken those lessons to heart, for although she was not the stuffy, emotionless noblewoman that her family might have wanted her to be, she was at the very least a master at taking things in stride and not allowing things to ruffle her feathers, one of several qualities that made her very different from her wife. Now more than ever was she grateful for that aspect of her upbringing.

Meanwhile, Soi Fon was fuming and making precious little attempt to conceal it. If she had had any less respect for Unohana than she did, she would have walked out immediately. Now more than ever she wanted to know what was going on in Unohana's head, behind those lethally serene, hooded blue eyes. But despite years of experience in intelligence and counter-intelligence, Soi Fon found her unreadable as ever.

Unohana sat across from Soi Fon and her wife, with Kisuke Urahara sitting on her right and Mayuri Kurotsuchi sitting on her left. Of all the occupants of the room, only Unohana and Yoruichi seemed to be comfortable with the situation, though Soi Fon knew that her wife was, internally, just as perplexed as she was. Kisuke looked openly amused while Kurotsuchi seemed quite agitated.

"Thank you for coming," Unohana said. "In order to meet your request for help on conceiving a child, I have asked for help from some individuals who have more of the required expertise than I do.

_Like I want Kurotsuchi anywhere near our child, or Urahara, for that matter, _Soi Fon thought.

"I trust that you will hear them out," Unohana added. Soi Fon frowned. One day she would have to ask Unohana how she did that.

"Assuming that you don't want your brat grown in a lab, there are still a few different routes we could take," Mayuri said. "First off, which of you wants to actually bear the child?"

"I do," Yoruichi said. That had been one of the first things they had decided, since Yoruichi was helpful around the Squad Two barracks, but obviously no longer as important as the Captain and Commander. The other point Yoruichi had also brought up was: _If the baby wants to nurse, the one of us with breasts should be the mommy. _

"Well," Kisuke interjected before Mayuri could respond. "The simplest route here would be a temporary augmentation to Soi Fon's-"

"No," Yoruichi stopped Kisuke. "No futa."

Soi Fon arched an eyebrow, giving her wife a sidelong look. She seemed to be blushing and trying hard not to look at Soi Fon. _What the hell is futa? What are they getting at?_ she thought, but said nothing.

"Fine, fine," Kisuke said, sounding more than a little disappointed. "Though we'll have to get a bit more abstract from here. Do you know about the duality between the Soul Society and the World of the Living?"

"What do you mean?" Soi Fon asked. There were a lot of dualities that she could think of, though nothing pertinent to this discussion.

"Just keep it simple, Urahara," Kurotsuchi snapped. "I don't have all day to spend lecturing on theory like some people."

"No love for theory, huh?" Kisuke said. "Oh well. The basis of it all is the fact that here in the Soul Society, Reishi particles form the building blocks for all matter. In the Living World, something called atoms provide the same function."

"Tick tock," Kurotsuchi said.

"If you feel you can do it better, you are welcome to try," Unohana interjected. Kurotsuchi glared at her, but said nothing.

"Well," Kisuke continued, "do you remember the incident with the group called Fullbringers?"

"I wasn't involved with that," Soi Fon said.

"You know, I wasn't either…" Yoruichi said. "I don't even really remember what I was doing at the time… weird."

"Anyway, the Fullbringers relied on objects made of atoms to serve as the medium for their spirit power. This proved an important theory, that not only do living humans generate souls, but that all objects in the Living World have a soul-like essence based on their form and function. It's interesting that-"

"The point is that it works the opposite way in Soul Society," Mayuri said, stopping Kisuke from going further. "Shinigami Zanpakto are parts of our souls, but they can generate Reishi and create forms. So over there, matter generates soul, but here, soul generates matter."

"So what does that mean?" Soi Fon asked, though she was beginning to get an idea of it. She saw now the brilliance of Unohana's plan, bringing the two scientists together under her watch. Mayuri openly disliked everyone, and it was fairly apparent that Kisuke harbored some bad memories for his former subordinate, while both men were a little frightened of Unohana. The three personalities played against one another perfectly, making sure the married couple got the help they needed with as little trouble as possible.

"Mind over matter," Mayuri said. "Although it is harder to do that consciously, which is what you will have to do."

"Though it should be a little easier with something as instinctive as sex," Kisuke said, sliding out his fan and unfurling it.

Yoruichi and Soi Fon looked at each other, their faces mirroring confusion. Mayuri sighed exasperatedly. "Look, do you see any of us going around changing reality just by thinking about it? There's a reason this is all still theory."

"That and the fact that there's a sad lack of scientific documentation on lesbian sex in this dimension," Urahara said airily.

"And we're going to be your guinea pigs?" Soi Fon barked.

"This would be experimental no matter what you did," Unohana said gently. "And careful documentation of any successes you have would greatly help any women who might want this help in the future."

"I guess that makes sense," Yoruichi relented, looking consolingly at her wife who still seemed far less than thrilled. "What are we supposed to do?" she asked.

"You don't have to do anything," Kisuke said dismissively. "You're doing the natural part. It's Soi-chan who's got to act like she has a..."

Unohana coughed gently, and Kisuke got the hint. Instead, Mayuri took the initiative. "If you really _think_ you're having sex to get her pregnant, your orgasm will then copy the function of the male orgasm."

"Wait, what?" Soi Fon asked, feeling somewhere between annoyed and mortified. "How does that work?"

"Your soul projects matter into her uterus," Mayuri said. "Causing it to react as if it had been inseminated, and then the process should work like normal."

"She'll impregnate me just by climaxing?" Yoruichi asked incredulously.

"Think of it like a Hado or Bakudo," Kisuke said. "Just because you say the words and wave your hands doesn't mean you change reality. You have to feel it and really project. But like destroying something with a Hado, the effects will stick."

"It won't be easy," Mayuri said. "But don't come crying to me if you aren't disciplined enough to see this through."

Soi Fon glared at him. "I think we're done here," she said coolly. "Thanks for your contributions, but know that you shouldn't underestimate us, Kurotsuchi." She rose, then turned to leave.

"And don't think you're getting any photos or videos for "research" purposes," Yoruichi said to Kisuke. "Remember what happened the last time you tried bugging my room when Soi Fon was over?"

Kisuke looked downcast as Yoruichi left with her wife.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Unohana said, stepping up to follow her guests out. In the anteroom for Squad Four, the serene Captain managed to catch up to them.

"That seemed to go rather well," she commented.

"Given that that should have been an unmitigated disaster, I guess you're right," Soi Fon replied. "Thank you," she said tersely.

Yoruichi smiled, "you're always full of surprises, Unohana."

Unohana returned her smile. "I do have something further I can supply to help," she said, withdrawing a small ring from the folds of her haori. "Due to the uncertainty revolving around this, I believed it would be helpful if you had something that could indicate the moment when you have successfully conceived, since it takes a few days for biological signs to start appearing otherwise. Just wear the ring, and it will glow once you have succeeded."

"Thanks," Yoruichi said, taking the ring and sliding it on her finger. "Should take some of the guesswork out of it."

"Good," Unohana said. "How about we all re-convene in one month to review the process?"

~00~

"You ready?" Yoruichi asked.

"I guess…" Soi Fon replied. She wasn't sure why she sounded, or felt, as uncomfortable as she was. They had been married for almost two years, and had been having sex for several years before that. Maybe it was because it wasn't natural, because now they weren't having sex just for mutual pleasure, but had a goal in mind. She wasn't going to be thinking about making love to her wife, but instead focusing her climax on making her wife pregnant. It wasn't that she felt she couldn't do it: so much of her life had involved knuckling down and doing the impossible, and this would be no different.

Maybe it was the fact that this would be the first time that they were having sex in the onsen. Their in-home onsen had been filled with aromatic bubble bath, filling the chamber with a cloying, pink-colored steam. Soi Fon enjoyed the onsen, but the extras merely bred her feeling of awkwardness, especially since she wasn't actually in the water, but lounging on a vinyl mat set next to the onsen proper. The mat, and the fact that she was surrounded by a few bottles of bath-soaps and a small wooden bucket, made her wonder exactly what Yoruichi had in store for her.

"You don't sound ready, but I can fix that…" Yoruichi said. Her chocolate-skinned wife stood above her, perched on the rim of the onsen with a towel wrapped around her body, bunching up her cleavage in a way that Soi Fon thought was sexier than any lingerie could be. Or nudity, for that matter. Yoruichi's tendency for nudity meant that her wife's body, beautiful as it was, had lost much of its impact, but that just made it all the more alluring when Yoruichi attempted to be seductive without being naked. "Come on," she said, before casting the towel aside. The heavy-hanging steam still did a good job of concealing Yoruichi's nudity, and as Soi Fon watched her wife slink her way towards the mat, the feeling of awkwardness began to melt away, replaced instead by a growing desire.

"I…" Soi Fon began, trying to sit up, wanting to engage her brown lover.

"Shh," Yoruichi soothed, reaching down to push Soi Fon back to the mat. "You just lay back and stay focused on your part of this." She leaned in, perched over Soi Fon, and kissed her on the lips while she grabbed one of the bottles of soap. She twisted the cap off the bottle, then began pouring the liquid soap on Soi Fon's chest, watching as it traced its way around her small breasts. Yoruichi took the bucket, dipped it in the warm onsen water, then poured that on Soi Fon's chest as well. She slowly massaged with her hands, brushing around her wife's breasts and navel sensuously, mixing the soap into a fine lather.

"What is this?" Soi Fon managed to ask as Yoruichi slid back into an upright position. Soi Fon didn't know quite what was going on, but she liked it.

"It's called a Soapland," Yoruichi said, taking the bottle of soap and beginning to pour it over her breasts, the soap dripping down through her cleavage and running over her navel. "Kinda hard to explain what it is exactly," she added, "but it's from the world of the living and involves people having sex covered in soap and lather. Now shush," she said, laying herself on top of her wife. She began rubbing her body against Soi Fon's, intermingling the lather as she held Soi Fon's head with one hand and with the other began stroking between her thighs.

Soi Fon moaned softly and attempted to stir, but Yoruichi adjusted her grip. Soi Fon assumed Yoruichi was serious about not letting her worry about reciprocating, and so lay back and let her wife take the lead. Yoruichi took her offer and began kissing her, running her hands slowly around the small of Soi Fon's back, then down to knead her fingers into Soi Fon's ass cheeks, spreading the foam wherever her hands traveled. As they kissed, Soi Fon began to understand the appeal of these "Soaplands." They brought a feeling of warmth and slickness that made foreplay so much more appealing, as she felt her soap-slicked body slide against Yoruichi and against the mat.

Yoruichi sat up slowly, breaking off her kisses and sliding her hands down Soi Fon's torso and down to her thighs. Her hands worked their way around Soi Fon's mound, which was swollen and throbbing with anticipation. She spread open the lips of her labia, then leaned down and took a slow lick of the pulsing orifice, teasing the aperture of the labia minora with her skilful tongue. It was something Soi Fon thought about little enough, but years of a cat's life seemed to have given her wife exceptional tongue dexterity and licking skill, and she never got tired of it. She moaned again, clenching her legs involuntarily around her wife's head. Yoruichi replied by dipping her thumbs inside Soi Fon's pussy.

Soi Fon was driven along by the firm but tender work of her wife's fingers, her heart fluttering, her breath coming in reflexive gasps as Yoruichi began to pick up the tempo. Yoruichi seemed to know all of her rhythms, pinpointing the perfect time to switch positions, to pull into a sitting position again. She positioned her leg up to lock their foam-covered legs together at the thighs, sliding and squirming back and forth hurriedly, aided by the soapy slickness.

As she felt the sense of cresting pleasure, felt her diaphragm contracting and her stomach rippling with her impassioned moans, Soi Fon put her mind on impregnation and conception, as difficult as that was. As she felt her orgasm build from the core of her being, she put all her mind behind it, behind the irrational belief that she could impregnate her wife with this orgasm.

"Augh!" Soi Fon howled, clenching her legs around Yoruichi's, envisioning the spirit of her orgasm shooting into Yoruichi's womb, there to take root and create a child.

She lay there for a time, panting as she came down off the high of pleasure. "Well?" she asked breathily.

Yoruichi held up the hand that she wore the ring on, to show that it was not glowing. "No good," she said, though she almost sounded pleased. "Plenty more where that came from, right?"

~00~

"Plenty more" was correct. The following month saw the married couple having sex in every free opportunity. Yoruichi was determined to approach the challenge in typical Yoruichi fashion, as Soi Fon discovered the first time Yoruichi ambushed her in their private dojo, disabling her and giving her a fun time, albeit with no results. Whatever they tried seemed fruitless, however, whether it was the hours Soi Fon spent meditating to try to really bring her mind into focus, the nights (and mornings) spent in the throes of passion, or the various themes, gimmicks, and fetishes that Yoruichi dredged up from her time in the World of the Living. It made Soi Fon suspicious that Yoruichi's sexual history was more extensive than her wife had claimed, but then Soi Fon remembered that World of the Living internet offered access to things much more strange and exotic than Soul Society's professionally-oriented network.

Their sexual activity was focused almost entirely on Soi Fon, which left her feeling guilty that she wasn't reciprocating often enough, though sometimes she insisted. Another thing she insisted on was making sure that all the extra sex didn't impact their respective duties to Squad Two and the Onmitsukido, something a little harder to pull off. It would have been impossible in the days before Nemu Two was around to help with the administrative work. It should have bothered her much more than it did, Soi Fon realized. By her own high standards, she and her wife were neglecting their duties. But whether it was all the sex, or simply the promise of having a child with her, Soi Fon found that she was fine with where she was. Perhaps her Yoruichi-sama was rubbing off on her or perhaps, in maturing, she was becoming less mature.

Either way, the month passed by with a renewal of married bliss that made their honeymoon look tame by comparison, but with no progress on the matter of pregnancy. Thus it was that they found themselves in front of Unohana and her panel of "experts" once again, and after a fresh round of consultation, the married couple resumed their work.

_"It's about fertility," Mayrui insisted. "There is nothing wrong with the underlying theory, and if we can trust that Soi Fon is doing her job right," he said, glaring across at the petite Captain, who glared back at him icily. "The problem must be making Yoruichi more receptive."_

Soi Fon perched atop her wife, who lay back with a satisfied grin on her face, a grin that was soon covered by Soi Fon's lips. As with every day for the past month, Yoruichi had led the way through foreplay, priming her wife for her part in this, but for the moment they stood aside from their mission, lost in their mutual passion.

_"There is nothing wrong with the theory," Kisuke assured. "But we could be applying it improperly. I still say that the simple answer involves giving Soi Fon…"  
>"I said no," Yoruichi said firmly. "My answer on that isn't going to change."<em>

_ "I know you've always had that strange objection to futa," Kisuke said. "But if it would produce results…"_

_ "You're just being perverted," Mayuri chastised. "The answer is in Yoruichi's fertility."_

_ "It isn't," Kisuke said. "Fertility won't make a difference if nothing's getting through in the first place."_

They merely kissed for a time, the passion simmering between them in the simple act. Yoruichi's hand slid down Soi Fon's bare back, slipping around her hips then between her thighs, seeking her womanhood.

"No," Soi Fon said gently, breaking off the kiss. "It's my turn." She slid her arms under one of Yoruichi's chocolate-toned legs, lifting it up to lock their legs together. What was popularly called "scissoring" had been their preferred method for getting Soi Fon to climax throughout this process, but this time it would be different.

"_Fine, it's not like I care if they have a kid. Not like I need a brat running around the Seireitei anyway," Mayuri said. "They can waste all the time they want having sex. I'm sure they'll be thrilled."_

_ "Jealous," Yoruichi quipped._

_ "Perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way," Unohana said, suddenly interceding before Kisuke could make his next point. "When the male ejaculates into the female, he's usually doing so under his own power. I understand Yoruichi has largely been the one making you cum?" she asked._

_ There was a stunned silence for a moment. Kisuke's eyes widened as he tried not to look over at Unohana, while Mayuri's jaw dropped, ever so slightly._

_Yoruichi sat dumbstruck, until Soi Fon nudged her elbow. "Oh, yes," she said. _

_ "What if Soi Fon were to use your body to make herself cum, much like what a man would do, but without having to get any… masculine augmentations?" Unohana said. "Then she achieves the real appropriate mindset for insemination; how impregnation really happens."_

Now it was Soi Fon taking the lead, grinding and squirming her thighs, rubbing her pussy against Yoruichi's, seeking to use her wife for her own sexual release, her mind wholly focused on gaining pleasure and driving herself towards climax. It was selfish, and went against all she had believed in during years of being Yoruichi's lover, which was the perfect explanation for why success had eluded them.

The pleasure swelled up inside her as she felt her sensitive pussy make contact with her wife's clitoris. She felt the heat and the wetness, knowing that Yoruichi too was nearing climax, but also knowing that this was unimportant. For although she was bringing her wife pleasure as she desired, Soi Fon was getting pleasure for herself first and foremost, and that was the key to this whole venture: pleasure for herself in the short-term to bring joy to both of them for a lifetime.

Her breath caught in her throat as her body seized up, then her shout of ecstasy roared from her throat as she came. Breathing slowly and deeply, Soi Fon decoupled from her wife, leaning forward and onto her naked body, embracing her for a slow kiss. Yoruichi drew up her arms to complete the embrace, and Soi Fon noticed something out of the corner of her eye, a red glow, coming from Yoruichi's ring.

They were going to be mothers.

**Author's Note:** _Damn this one took a while. Production schedule rammed into the end of my stay in Japan, so I was spending much more time cavorting around Tokyo instead of writing this, and I had a presentation to give on my return to the USA. This chapter notably lacks any real conflict, and is rather an exploration of metaphysics of the Bleach universe wrapped in a layer of smut. Arguably it's more a study in the complexity of the fandom's interpretations of Unohana than anything else :P_

_Review review review!_


	5. 3 Proposal

The Third Thing: Proposal

"Come on, whatcha waiting for?"

"Someone made me finish doing the dishes. You've just compounded delays on top of delays all morning."

"Oh, stop complaining, it's only 8:47. You had time for a nice, leisurely morning with your wife and getting a whole extra ten minutes to spare. In fact, I bet I could take this chocolate sauce and…"

"No! No more delays. We're going, now."

"Bossy, bossy," Yoruichi quipped. "You know, you're never going to get a girlfriend with that attitude."

"If I could, you'd be in real trouble," Soi Fon said. "Not too many other people would love someone as irresponsible as you. You're lucky I like a challenge."

"You've always loved a good challenge, Soi Fon," Yoruichi said, stepping into the kitchen and giving her wife a brief kiss. "Now come on," she insisted.

"Fine, I guess this bowl is dry enough," she said, putting down both rag and bowl. Her eyes flicked back to the bowl, then she picked it up and give it another rub with the rag. "There," she said. "Let's go."

The number one power couple in Seireitei stepped out of their house and into the barracks-grounds of Squad Two. They were visible only for a second before they vanished, appearing in flashes faster than the eye could track on rooftops and in alleyways as they tore their way through Seireitei before finally landing in the midst of a current of people: dignitaries, bored nobles, seated officers, and the closest thing to "family members" that Rukongaijin could have, all proceeding towards the same goal, a nearby gate into another courtyard. The two women joined the throng, which quickly made room for them upon seeing Soi Fon's haori.

"Nervous?" Yoruichi asked.

"Hardly," Soi Fon replied. "It's not like anything can possibly go wrong. The deed has been done. It's her performance that matters now, neither mine nor yours."

"You know, I was nervous when I was here for this," Yoruichi noted the blank look Soi Fon gave her. "What, I never told you that story in almost 19 years of marriage? Damn."

"Irrelevant. I'm not nervous, so there's no need for your anecdote."

**Please form two lines,** a booming voice suddenly came, transmitted straight to the minds of all in attendance by Bakudo 77: Tenteikura. **One for civilians, one for Shinigami personnel.** Soi Fon stopped dead for a moment, definite redness rising into her cheeks.

"Awh," Yoruichi cooed. "Did I ever tell you how adorable you are? You're still so embarrassed over that, after all this time!"

"I'm… not… Yoruichi-sama, please…" Soi Fon pleaded, Yoruichi's attentions only making her all the more embarrassed. It did seem to be an irrational association of that particular kido with embarrassment, but Soi Fon could hardly be blamed for it, given what had happened the last time she used Tenteikura…

~~0000~~

The light off of the great Ferris wheel cast many colors over the gently rippling waters of Tokyo Bay as a frigid wind came from the city proper to sweep out into the Pacific. Spring seemed to be slow in coming in this part of the World of the Living, for although the buds were visible on the Sakura trees, the sting of winter was still on the breeze. This place was amazing, and only helped to impress on Soi Fon just how vast the World of the Living was compared to Soul Society, as this city was none too far from Karakura Town, but itself seemed to be as big or bigger than all of Seireitei, endless and endless houses and offices and buildings, all alive with light and color during the night. Equally impressive was the island they were on, in its own way, as it had apparently been made entirely of garbage and loose earth packed together, an architectural achievement greater than anything in Soul Society.

It almost, almost made Soi Fon jealous of her traveling companion. In her hundred years of exile, Yoruichi Shihoin had been able to explore this amazing city and so many other places of this wide, wide world. It had been a great boon to their relationship, because combining the Soul Society's ability to open portals to anywhere in the World of the Living with Yoruichi's experience of said World to make their continuing date nights fun and dynamic.

This week, Yoruichi and Soi Fon had gone on a shopping trip in the upscale Odaiba island district of Tokyo, with Yoruichi losing patience for the fact that Soi Fon had spent none of her allowance of Living-World money since the end of the Great War, now eight months ago. Soi Fon herself had spent relatively little, aside from an adorable T-shirt from an equally adorable place called "Nyanda Cat Café." Yoruichi, however, had bought nothing, which was odd as the Cat Café had been Yoruichi's idea; this whole date had been. They walked slowly out of the café, wandering in front of the nearby police box as the attendant policeman eyed the dark-skinned woman and her obviously-Chinese companion warily. Yoruichi seemed not to know where she was going, and Soi Fon was, of course, quite lost, having never led a mission to this part of Tokyo.

"So where are we going next?" the petite captain asked. Yoruichi had said something about a giant robot when proposing this date, stoking Soi Fon's curiosity.

"What?" Yoruichi asked, as if snapping out of a daze.

"Where are we going?" Soi Fon repeated, with a note of concern in her voice.

"Oh, well, there're a lot of places to see around here," Yoruichi said, sounding distracted.

"Such as…?" Soi Fon asked.

"Lots of places," Yoruichi snapped. "Let me think!"

"Yoruichi-sama, what's wrong?" Soi Fon asked.

"What are we doing?" Yoruichi asked, answering her question with a question.

"You're trying to figure out where we should go next," Soi Fon said, wondering what Yoruichi was getting at.

"Not about that," she said, "there's plenty to do on this little island. I was talking about what's bothering me. _What are we doing?_ Dating, living together, every week it's the same thing..."

"The life of a Shinigami is not always thrilling," Soi Fon said. "You were a Captain for a long time, you know what it's like. We should be thankful that the war is over."

"No, it's not that," Yoruichi said, ignoring Soi Fon's insistent belief that Shinigami life was not fun. "It's fun enough getting to hang out at the Squad Two-Onmitsukido headquarters again and being close to the action. And I enjoy it whenever I'm able to get you out of the office, it's something, hmm…" she trailed off, not really knowing how to articulate her feelings.

"Okay," she began again. "What are we going to be doing in ten years? Or fifty? Will we still be together? Are we still going to be doing this?"

"I know I'll still be a Shinigami Captain," Soi Fon replied, "and that I'll be with you as long as you'll have me. I don't see the problem." She said the last statement crisply, and coming from anyone else, Yoruichi would have found it insulting, but Soi Fon's strong, oft-insensitive sense of certainty had always been comforting to Yoruichi.

"You're right," Yoruichi relented, "I have you, and that's enough. Plus, it's not like we're gonna run out of places to go. Tokyo alone has at least six more places worth seeing, and Shinjuku and Akihabara demand more than one night a piece. Now come on," she said, perking up just as suddenly as she had seemed to fade, grabbing her girlfriend's arm and tugging her along. "We have to go see the big Gundam."

"What's a Gundam?"

~00~

"Shunko!" Faster than the eye could track, Soi Fon tore across the training ground, her whole body sheathed in a crackling white aura as she lunged towards a monstrous figure. She whipped about into a roundhouse kick, her braids flowing with her body before her leg made contact with a replica Hollow-head, causing it to shatter into a shower of fragments and dust before the silver bolt tore away towards another target, a statue cast in the shape of a hollow and made of high-density stone, perfect for practicing such a powerful technique.

Soi Fon valued her relationship with Yoruichi for many reasons, some more utilitarian than others, such as now having the only other known Shunko-practitioner in existence as her soul-mate. Yoruichi had been impressed with the regimen Soi Fon had devised for practicing Shunko, and in an effort to accommodate her girlfriend, Soi Fon had increased her monthly order. And so they would practice together in a privately-reserved courtyard in the midst of Seireitei every month, but this month Soi Fon had rescheduled her morning, kicking Omaeda out of bed and having him take the united Corps on joint exercises, leaving her free to tackle her training regimen while her girlfriend slept. The Shinigami captain found that she often had her most profound moments of reflection in the midst of intense training, and she felt she needed such reflection after her date last night.

Yoruichi's behavior the previous night was not new; although it was the first time her girlfriend had expressed her trepidation verbally. The change had been subtle, but not beneath the notice of a woman who had spent her life in intelligence and obsessing over Yoruichi Shihoin. Soi Fon spotted her former superior in isolated moments of listlessness or indecision, glimpses into an unease that seemed to be eating Yoruichi from the inside out. This unease had bothered Soi Fon in turn and caused her to pay yet closer attention to Yoruichi's mood, probing gently until the outburst of the previous night had revealed the nature of the problem: Yoruichi was dissatisfied with the state of their relationship. What are we doing? Where will we be in the future? These questions gave context to Yoruichi's disquiet, and gave Soi Fon much to consider.

Soi Fon knew she had to respond to Yoruichi's apparent dissatisfaction carefully. Just because her girlfriend was uncertain about where their relationship was going did not mean that she wanted to end it, but Soi Fon certainly didn't want to give her any reasons to want to do so. There was a lot to fear, of course. So much of her happiness was wrapped up in that woman, as unhealthy as that was. Soi Fon knew it was bad to place so much emotional stock in this relationship, but while she wasn't certain of where her life with Yoruichi would go, she was certain that her immortal Shinigami life would be forever diminished if their relationship ended. That was why she couldn't afford to panic or overreact, and that was what made her next step easy. Caution was really her only option, to gently question Yoruichi about what was really bothering her, and then do everything in her power to fix it.

Soi Fon launched towards her next target, confident that she had an effective plan for the near future. As she powered up another punch and launched towards another stone Hollow replica, she caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye; a dark-skinned, purple-haired woman perched on the wall that surrounded the training ground. With the morning sun behind her, it was hard for Soi Fon to see the look with which Yoruichi regarded her, and the Captain's quickly-won confidence began to fade just as quickly.

In truth, Yoruichi watched Soi Fon training with a nostalgic smile on her face. Her Little Bee had come so far from the scrappy young Shinigami she had pulled out of that brawl so many years ago, from the young woman who needed her assistance and benefitted from her tutelage in so many ways. That woman was now in the process of mastering the most advanced technique the Shihoin princess had ever developed, and as Yoruichi watched her, she felt a strong sense of nostalgic pride, tempered by the faintest trace of jealousy.

Soi Fon launched towards yet another target, but saw its head shatter into dust a when her fist was a scant meter away. Her fist flew through nothing, discharging a burst of silver reiatsu before she landed, turning to see Yoruichi standing next to the demolished target, clad in her familiar skin-tight black shunko outfit and her equally familiar cocksure grin. "You started without me? What's the deal? Don't think you have anything left to learn from the Master?"

"Nope," Soi Fon said, shooting an equally cocky grin back at Yoruichi. "I've got people of my own who learn from me now."

"Hmm. It would be nice to be the master again," Yoruichi replied playfully. "How about we put your mastery to the test? That wall," she said, pointing at one of the courtyard walls. "Simultaneous strike, whoever makes the cleaner impact wins."

"Doing damage to Seireitei property?" Soi Fon asked.

"Four noble families," Yoruichi said neatly. "Good for it. Ready?" she said, suddenly leaping into a ready position at Soi Fon's side, her body oriented towards the indicated wall.

"Definitely," Soi Fon replied, crouching into a matching position.

Yoruichi nodded and the two women flared a blinding white, then tore towards the wall faster than the eye could track. There was a subtle difference in their motion, with Soi Fon just an arm's length ahead of Yoruichi, though she was so intent on her target that she couldn't notice. Thus she struck first, expending the pent-up energy in her fist with pinpoint precision, opening a hole in the wall that had a perfect conic shape. Yoruichi saw it, striking one tiny fraction of a second later, but her release timing was off by just that amount, the energy discharge wilder than she had intended, and though a perfect cone-shaped hole appeared behind her impact point, the wall began to crack at the fringe of the hole, then the cracks spread throughout the wall, and just as quickly a huge chunk of the wall was gone, with Soi Fon's hole along with it.

"Huh, I guess we overdid it," Yoruichi said, observing the destruction, which had drawn a few curious Shinigami passersby.

"You overdid it," Soi Fon said matter-of-factly. "You released too late, unleashed the power too broadly." She quickly regretted her words, knowing that she should be trying to placate her girlfriend, and not trying to show her up.

"That was always the hardest part for me," Yoruichi said. "That was why I never used shunko in combat, or in public, for that matter, before I left a hundred years ago."

"Wait, you were working on Shunko before you left?" Soi Fon asked, glad that Yoruichi seemed to be opening up of her own accord, and eager to compare notes on the origins of the technique.

"I've been dabbling in Shunko since I was nominated for Captaincy," Yoruichi said. "I got the idea from old Shihoin Clan techniques involving the transmission of reiatsu through hand-to-hand combat. The old techniques involved forcing your energy into the foe's body, doing damage internally, but I decided that it would be much more effective if I sheathed my body in energy like Kido, and released it just before making contact. The hard part was the precise timing needed on the release. Before you signed on, I spent two months in a wig when I burnt my own hair in Shunko training."

"Huh…" Soi Fon said slowly. "I was so embarrassed when I burnt one of my braids off practicing Shunko sixty years ago. I didn't know you-"

"Sixty years ago?" Yoruichi asked. When she had burnt her hair, she had still been in a very early, experimental phase with the technique.

"Yes, really early in the process, when I was just starting to figure out how to safely control the release of energy in such close quarters. I was trying to create a faster version of Kido, something I could incorporate into hand-to-hand combat. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Yoruichi said dismissively, though internally she was troubled. It had taken her far longer than sixty years to go from the experimental phase of Shunko to even the tricky, incomplete point that Soi Fon had reached back at their reunion fight. "Anyway, I should get going. I'll have to get an estimate on this wall," she added with a smile, and with that she was gone. Soi Fon retreated quickly as well, mortified that the slowly-accumulating Shinigami would implicate her for reckless property destruction.

~00~

The next week dragged by slowly for Yoruichi and Soi Fon, with the two of them settling into their normal weekly routine before Soi Fon's weekly scheduled time off and their next date. Both women tried to keep up the pretense of normalcy, both women too involved in keeping up their own charade to notice the turmoil that brewed just beneath the surface.

Yoruichi spent the week grappling with her discontent, a discontent which was further fueled by a rising jealousy. The discontent was, in part, rational, and it was nothing new. Yoruichi did not know who she was anymore, or what defined her. This had been a problem she had dealt with since her exile, her loss of Captaincy and Command of the Onmitsukido.

Yoruichi was afraid of ending up like… well, she hated to visualize it this way, but she was afraid of ending up like her mother. Rather, she was afraid of ending up how her parents had wanted her to end up, the demure, useless trophy wife to an ambitious man who would take her positions away from her. Her great fear was that this was coming true, just with Soi Fon in place of whatever man would have been chosen for her had things gone according to plan.

Her girlfriend was already Captain of Squad Two and Commander of the Onmitsukido, and Soi Fon seemed to have gone beyond that, and slowly become, in her own way, a more than fitting successor, a sign of the advancement in a younger generation that was less reliant on noble birth and more reliant on hard work (though some measure of noble birth had helped in Soi Fon's case). Soi Fon had discovered Shunko on her own, had mastered it in a time far shorter than it had taken Yoruichi, likely spurred by the single-minded drive with which the petite woman seemed to pursue everything. Soi Fon had made her own stand in the wars of the last few years, while Yoruichi herself had been relegated to a negligible role. Now, as Soi Fon approached mastery of Shunko, the one art that had once been wholly, uniquely hers, Yoruichi began to wonder why she was needed, when Soi Fon was everything she had once been.

Bitterness and envy: these were no feelings that Yoruichi had ever felt towards her once-subordinate and current girlfriend. Soi Fon herself had once been a highly bitter and envious woman, and the jury was still out over how bitter she was still, but Yoruichi had never resented her before, nor been jealous of her, and she supposed she was not bitter or resentful towards Soi Fon personally, just with what Soi Fon represented: the freedom, the power, and the prowess that Yoruichi had once commanded.

This envy fed into the discontent Yoruichi felt, the one she had voiced during their date at Odaiba, and Yoruichi came to realize that the envy and the discontent came from the same source: she did not know what to do with her life. She loved Soi Fon and enjoyed being with her, but was that all she was meant to be? Would she be nothing but "Soi Fon's woman?" for ages uncounted in their immortal Shinigami lives? She could not know where her life was going, and for all the effort Yoruichi made at portraying herself as a free spirit, that truly disturbed her. She wanted to know what life with Soi Fon would bring.

For Soi Fon's part, she was trying to figure out the solution to just that problem. She was neither oblivious nor complacent, for having spent many years idolizing Yoruichi and a hundred more years than that working deeply in intelligence made Soi Fon especially adept at reading nonverbal cues and reading the hidden meaning of a person's words. She could not be sure of what Yoruichi wanted, but she was fairly certain that uncertainty alone was bothering her, as opposed to any compatibility problems within their relationship, which gave Soi Fon hope that there was something she could do, that the relationship was not doomed.

She spent the week in feverish thought, pondering and re-pondering Yoruichi's every word and action. She needed to think beyond what Yoruichi was signaling, however, not to what Yoruichi herself thought she wanted, but what she truly wanted, that which would really solve her problems. But what did Yoruichi really want? It was plain that she was dissatisfied, unhappy with where her life currently was and uncertain about the future. Now, Soi Fon knew that she could do nothing in practical terms to guarantee the future, she could only try to prepare for it as best she could.

But of course, love had little to do with practicality, as she had learned since her four-week courtship with Yoruichi. There was one fairly impractical thing she could do to show Yoruichi that their love for one another had a future, and that this future would be fixed for as long as they both should live. The obvious, but unwanted, solution was to propose marriage.

There were several reasons Soi Fon did not want to propose marriage. The first was that she had never wanted to draw unwanted attention to her relationship with Yoruichi. Not that she was embarrassed, but it was obvious that their relationship would cause controversy for several reasons, and while their dalliance was a sort of open secret among those already in the know in Soul Society, the official attention that a marriage was likely to bring would be just too inconvenient for both of them.

The second was a mere matter of practicality. Soi Fon had long assumed that Yoruichi would dislike marriage on principle, being more preoccupied with the idea of "true love" as a thing that could survive on its own without any sort of institution having to codify it. It was for that same reason that Soi Fon rather liked the idea of marriage, precisely because it was an old, hallowed institution, one that took the concept of monoamorous love and applied rules and regulations to it. As the week went on and Soi Fon thought about it more, a marriage proposal would not only solve Yoruichi's emotional troubles, but would also be a good way for the Captain of Squad Two to bring more order into her life.

So it was that Soi Fon resolved to propose marriage to Yoruichi Shihoin, and all that was left was to determine the best way to do it…

~00~

Soi Fon struck a match, casting light into her darkened quarters that grew as she lit a candle, then doubled as she lit a second candle with the first. She set the two candles across from one another on her low dining-table, moving one of them slowly, carefully; trying to make sure they were precisely lined up. The flames danced over a scene familiar to Soi Fon's eyes, a humble scene of quiet romance, and a recreation of the site of the greatest romantic achievement of Soi Fon's relationship-life. It was a blatant effort to recreate the night that had ended her Four-Week courtship with Yoruichi, now about a year and a half ago. In her mind it made perfect sense: she had succeeded in proclaiming her love for Yoruichi under these circumstances. Moreover, this scene was symbolic of what she had to offer the all-gifted Yoruichi: nothing but her simple love. It had proven to be a perfect pitch for their love in the past, and should serve as a fitting setting for this next momentous step in their relationship.

It was date night, and Soi Fon had been especially coy in the latter half of the week, insisting that she would organize the date this week, and on some pretense or other had gotten Yoruichi to leave the apartment for a few hours. The key element to their date tonight was hidden from plain view in a brown paper package almost indiscernible in the dim lighting the darkness. Marriage traditions in the Soul Society dictated that the man give to the woman a set of clothes, usually a kimono as elaborate as the man's family could afford, in order for their groom to plight his troth with the bride-to-be. The kimono symbolized that the groom was pledging to provide for his bride-to-be from now on, and that the groom's family was taking the bride under their care.

Of course, none of this symbolism was quite appropriate for their relationship as it stood. Tenuous though Yoruichi's relationship with her family was, she was still a Shihoin, and still far wealthier than Soi Fon. Of course, it was more than that: they were both women and Soi Fon did not want to "subordinate" Yoruichi to her in any way and she did not want to become her provider, she simply felt the traditional marriage proposal would get her true intention across in the best possible way. Well, part of it was untrue: she did want to provide Yoruichi with something, she wanted to provide her with a future, and that was the true intention of all of this.

Yoruichi returned to their quarters, not especially surprised at the romantic ambience nor the smell of fish frying in the kitchenette. Her clever Little Bee had obviously been trying to address her discontent all week, and was thus using date night in an attempt to right the course of their relationship. Yoruichi was not sure if Soi Fon was up to the challenge, because she was not even sure of what the challenge was, of what was truly bothering her or what Soi Fon or anyone could do to try and fix it. It was touching that Soi Fon was trying, at least.

The dinner-date proceeded much as one would expect, with the two girlfriends gently bantering about their days over fried filet of salmon. The tension hung thick in the air as both women tried to avoid the heavy stuff, but it was an almost-joyous tension, as Soi Fon waited anxiously for the right moment while Yoruichi basked in the idea that maybe it was all going to be okay very soon.

Finally it came down to it. As both women finished their food and Yoruichi reached for her glass of milk, Soi Fon interrupted her. "Hold on a moment," she said. "I know it's been difficult for you to adjust to living with me. You feel like you don't have a future. I know that must be awful, though I can't say that I sympathize. Even in my darkest moments I know what I've been bound to do with my life. But I do know the pain of uncertainty, and I will do what I can to rescue you from that pain. If you want certainty, if you want a future, I can provide that for you."

Soi Fon reached behind her and pulled out the wrapped package, swiftly undoing its twine binding and pulling the paper apart, revealing a carefully folded kimono, snowy white with delicate gold tracings flowing here and there. "Let me provide a future for you. Yoruichi Shihoin, will you marry me?"

There was a silence as Yoruichi pondered, switching her gaze from Soi Fon herself to the kimono in her outstretched arms and back again. For a moment hope held out in Soi Fon's heart, but then began to plummet as she gazed into her girlfriend's golden eyes, seeing behind them neither love nor joy, but something much more crushing.

"I'm sorry," Yoruichi said finally, flatly and without feeling. "I can't."

"Yoruichi-sama…" Soi Fon breathed slowly, not able to believe it.

"This isn't what I wanted," Yoruichi continued, sounding as though she were fighting back sobs. "I never wanted it to be like this. I just… can't."

"Yoruichi-sama, what do you mean? Do you not want to be with me anymore?"

"Don't," Yoruichi said, sounding pained. "Don't ask me that right now. I have to go," she said suddenly. "I just… can't," she added softly, and then, with a flicker, she was gone. Soi Fon stayed were she sat, her arms still outstretched and offering the kimono, knowing not what to say nor what to do. With a few simple words, she had been completely and utterly defeated.

~00~

"Mommy, mommy! Kuro-chan came back!"

"Welcome back, Kuro-chan," the kind-hearted young woman cooed. "Have you come to stay the night this time? How did you remember where we are months later? You're a smart kitty."

Yoruichi sat on the sidewalk that fronted the shopkeeping family's home. In the wealthier Rukongai districts, families voluntarily formed as they could, knowing stability in society started with stability at home, and thus they maintained prosperity compared to the outlying districts. Yoruichi had spent about a week in cat form with this family a few months back, hunting some vermin for them in exchange for food and affection, going back to spend nights with Soi Fon. It was the only place she could think to retreat to in Soul Society. She could not stay with any of her friends, for showing up at night would lead them straight to asking questions, questions she could not bear to answer.

Perhaps she was being irrational, perhaps she was being unfair, but she could not deny what she felt. Soi Fon's marriage proposal had horrified her in a way that few others could understand. It should have been like a dream come true, but instead Soi Fon had invoked a nightmare scenario that was almost wholly unique to Yoruichi. Soi Fon was the "man" that she had always dreaded, who had taken her positions away from her and then offered to provide for her now that she had been rendered useless, as if she were a burden, a pet who must be cared for because she has no talent or skill of her own.

It was not Soi Fon's fault, she knew, and that was where she was perhaps being unfair. She still loved Soi Fon as a person, she was at least mostly sure of that, but it was what that woman now represented that Yoruichi powerfully resented, even hated. Soi Fon was probably as confused as she was, only looking for the best solution to a complex problem to try and help. But it was hard for Yoruichi to acknowledge that, not when that one dreaded word beat its relentless tattoo on her consciousness: provide.

Yoruichi did not need to be provided for, or ever want to be provided for. Whether as a noblewoman, an officer in the Gotei 13, or even as a stray cat, Yoruichi needed no-one to provide for her. She would not end up being provided for, a woman who could do no more than serve in some small way in the home. That was not her destiny, and Yoruichi knew that however her life ended up, she would be in charge of her destiny, leading her own life. What that meant between her and Soi Fon, she did not know. For now she just needed some space, and the quiet, unassuming life of a mouser cat could give her the time she needed to clear her head.

Even if the Rukongai-kid did pet her a little too hard.

~00~

5:12 AM. Five hours and twelve minutes after midnight. Marechiyo Omaeda should have gotten used to it by now, having been a Lieutenant and commanding officer for many years, but he had just never been able to adjust to the wakeup times, and all the more so when they came as a surprise.

"Get up, slug!" his Captain had called, kicking him out of his comfy futon with force enough to slam him into the wall at the other end of the room. "Get the Onmitsukido staff, I'm getting the officers of Squad Two. It's all-barracks drills: everyone is to be on the parade ground, ready and presentable in 13 minutes.

Now, many people thought the Lieutenant of Squad two a buffoon, but experience had taught him much over the years, and he knew that surprise pre-dawn drills (as opposed to scheduled ones), meant something was troubling his Captain. He was smart enough to know it, and dumb enough to bring it up. "Is something bothering you, Captain?" he ventured, hoping against a fool's hope that he could console her and maybe buy himself 45 minutes of glorious sleep.

"Yes something's troubling me," Soi Fon hissed. "I have a damn imbecile for a Lieutenant! Now move!"

Soi Fon had awoken that morning, tired and dispirited. Her sleep had been restless, sapped by depression, though she was trying her hardest to avert despair. She had tasted despair a few times before, every time inspired by the woman she called the love of her life, but she was determined to avert it this time. She had salvaged the relationship before, and at least this time she hadn't punched her. Sure, getting shot down from a marriage proposal was a setback, and Yoruichi had gone missing again, but she could overcome this in time, she just had to try harder, and alter her tactics.

Even though she was determined to fight her way out of it, she still hurt in the here and now, the disappointment in Yoruichi's golden eyes searing its way into her heart. She slunk out of bed at 5:08, a whole eight minutes behind schedule, with a fresh determination to snap herself out of her depression and move forward. And, under the mantra of "misery loves company," she decided the best way to do that was to turn every soul in the combined barracks out for a pre-dawn combat drill. The drill would avert despair and keep her mind off of her relationship troubles in the meantime, before she could think of a solution.

A psychologist would say she was also conducting these all-barracks drills to demonstrate how much power and control she had in her professional life compared to her relationship life, but whatever the reason, it seemed to work for Soi Fon. Indeed, she bit out of depression fairly quickly, working her temper into fine parade-ground form as she berated all and sundry, the latter being night watch from another squad passing by at the end of their shift.

As hard as she was working, however, she could not stop the memories from flowing in. Namely, memories of her days as a wet-behind-the-ears recruit, toiling in the parade ground under Yoruichi-sama, in the days when she had been an inapproachable goddess, before she had singled her out for her personal guard. Soi Fon subscribed heavily to disciplinary and tough-love approaches to governing her forces, and she stood by her record of lowering attrition rates by 18% over the course of her career, but she still felt she had never gained that aptitude to inspire that Yoruichi possessed. In living with Yoruichi and being her girlfriend, Soi Fon hoped that she might glean some of that talent, but it had not happened yet.

She walked among the rows of Onmitsukido operatives doing sparring kata, clashing their Zanpakto against each other almost rhythmically as they faced off in long rows. She strode down the rows, into the section containing green recruits. Their kata stance was pitiable, hastily-enlisted men and women whose Academy days had been cut short due to the thinning of the herds from the War. Undertrained, they did not quite belong there, but Central 46 had erred on the side of having appropriate numbers in all squads in lieu of training quality, and it showed.

"Hold," she said, placing her hand on the shoulder of a taller woman who was dueling a man about Soi Fon's size. "That's not how you swing a sword."

"Apologies, Captain!" both operatives snapped sharply. "How may we improve?" the woman asked.

You swing a sword like this… Soi Fon shivered at the unbidden memory, though she soon smiled as the germ of an idea sprouted in her head. She shoved idea, memory, and smile aside, all being irrelevant to the immediate moment. She instead shunpoed to the end of the row, summoning a pair of veterans back to her origin. "Demonstrate proper sword stances," she ordered tersely, then flickered away.

In the privacy of her own office (guaranteed by the fact that everyone on the barracks was still out on the parade ground), Soi Fon began eagerly pacing back and forth, giving full attention to the idea that had sprouted back on the parade ground. It was a wild chance, but there was evidence it would work. _I'm not even a wife, I'm just a housecat: pretty and pampered and useless. _Yoruichi had said that back when they had moved in together. She was afraid for her future and feared being useless, and then she had remembered the joy Yoruichi had taken in instructing her in her past. They had gotten together because Yoruichi had chosen to take her under her wing long ago. It would be nice to be the master again, she had said, only last week. She had said it in jest, but perhaps, just perhaps, there had been more meaning under those words.

She knew she had to work quickly. When the Goddess of Flash was on the run, every second lost was invaluable. Already it might be impossible to find her, in her feline form which repressed her reiatsu, possibly posing as a simple street-cat, or she could have gone to the World of the Living and be hiding amongst the billions of people there. The last time they had fought, Yoruichi had retreated to the World of the Living, but Soi Fon wanted to be sure. She whipped out her mobile phone.

"Research and Development Society, Akon here."

Soi Fon had always liked him. He never slept for some reason, meaning he had eternal vigilance, something she envied. "Hello, this is Captain Soi Fon. Have any captain-class individuals or animals made trips through the Senkaimon in the last 12 hours?

"Animals? No. No captain-class individuals either," the reply came.

"Acknowledged," Soi Fon said, then quickly hung up. Okay, so she was still on this side of the line, unless she had opened a garganta or something. No, there was no time to be paranoid, it was time for bold action. She was somewhere on this side, and Soi Fon had to reach her, immediately, in a way that would find her wherever she was, and reach her whether she was awake, asleep, or somewhere in between. There was only one recourse she knew of: Bakudo 77, Tenteikura.

"Bakudo 77: Tenteikura!" she shouted, avoiding the long, elaborate incantation, or the requisite drawing of messaging patterns, and instead immediately opening the direct connection to her Yoruichi-sama…

~00~

_Yoruichi-sama. Yoruichi-sama!_

The black cat twitched its ears, waking up from its slumber. It thought it had heard a woman calling its name, but heard her voice only in her head, as if from a dream. "Soi Fon…" the cat sighed audibly, hidden from prying ears in its sleeping-spot in the crawlspace under the family's shop.

_Yoruichi-sama._ If you're out there, wake up!

So it was Soi Fon. As the cat gathered its thoughts, it realized she must be using Tenteikura.

_Yoruichi, I understand what's troubling you. You're worried that you're not needed anymore. You're worried that you've become a burden. I guess I… didn't help to calm your fears last night. I was selfish, I was just trying to wrap everything up neatly, and I wasn't thinking about what was really bothering you, and I'm sorry. Love is good, but sometimes it is not enough. But I can give you the future you want. I still need you, Yoruichi. You have so much experience, you have abilities I will never have. And that doesn't just mean the cat thing. You are good with people; you can bring out the best in those around you. I need you to be more than just my girlfriend, or my… wife. I need you, Yoruichi._

The cat crawled out from its hiding space, out into the street and into the golden dawn light. It looked up into the sky, in anticipation of the next words that would come out of the ether.

_Yoruichi Shihoin, will you marry me? Whatever your answer is, I would like to hear it in person. I'm in my office._

The cat morphed in a puff of smoke, a naked, chocolate-skinned beauty suddenly appearing in the sparsely-populated street. There were a few gasps before the woman was gone just as quickly as she had appeared.

~00~

Soi Fon stood in her office for a few tense moments, wondering just how far away Yoruichi might have been, or if her words truly reached her.

She felt the flicker of reiatsu an instant before she saw her, the naked woman standing in her door. On any other occasion, she would have been mortified, but seeing the look of unbridled joy in Yoruichi's moist, golden eyes, Soi Fon had never been happier to see that naked form.

"Yes, Soi Fon," Yoruichi said tearfully. "I will marry you." She swept towards her new fiancée, grabbing her in an embrace and kissing her deeply.

"My my, what a lovely sight!" an effeminate male voice came. "I don't believe I've seen anything quite so magnificent since the last time I changed hairstyles." Yumichika Ayasegawa had appeared in the entrance to Soi Fon's office.

Yoruichi and Soi Fon turned swiftly, too engrossed in one another to notice the new arrival before he spoke. "What are you doing in here?" Soi Fon barked.

"I heard your proposal, of course," Yumichika said. "And it was a work of beauty."

Soi Fon's eyes widened. Tenteikura was supposed to be sent to specific individuals, but then again she had skipped several steps in the process of casting the spell. If Yumichika had heard her marriage proposal… how many other people had caught it?

"What are you doing, shouting sappy crap at us in our heads?" Ikkaku Madarame stormed in as well. "You interrupted our sparring match with the Captain and Hisagi. Captain Zaraki's laughing his ass off. Whoa," Ikkaku stopped short, seeing the naked Yoruichi who had resumed kissing Soi Fon, who was rapidly falling into a state of shock. "Nice," he said, as a trickle of blood leeched from his nose.

Yoruichi broke off her kiss with Soi Fon as the latter snapped out of her shock, and both women gave Ikkaku a look that could have melted lead, before crackling with white energy and giving him something a bit more painful to think about.

**Author's Note:** _Took me two months and two days to update. Now I'm sad. Fortunately the next chapter is the last, so here's hoping I get it done quick. Would you kindly review? It seems 's tried to make it easier, so go ahead and do it!_


	6. 6 Childbirth

The Sixth Thing: Childbirth

"Just admit it, you're still embarrassed…"

"Of course I am! Wouldn't you be, if one of the most intimate moments of your life had been heard by every Lieutenant-level Shinigami in Seireitei?"

"But that was over 19 years ago now. You're still too uptight."

"Shh," Soi Fon hissed. "We shouldn't talk about this now."

"See what I mean?" Yoruichi replied, diving in and giving Soi Fon a quick kiss on the lips, which evoked a fiery-red blush on her wife's face.

"It's not appropriate here!" Soi Fon hissed anew, not wanting to make a scene.

She was correct, of course, for the two women were striding, arm in arm, into a well-adorned courtyard near the center of Seireitei, the courtyard that fronted the Shinigami Academy. They filtered into the queue designated for Shinigami, spotting a familiar face here and there. Everyone convened for one purpose, though some had more investment in this event than others. Today was yet another Shinigami Academy Induction day, bringing in a new class of future Shinigami, the best young souls in Seireitei. In its own way, it was a somewhat morbid occasion, for the immortality of Shinigami, coupled with the fact that they were not allowed to resign and rarely allowed to retire, meant that each new class at the Academy existed almost purely to replace Shinigami who had fallen in the line of duty.

Not that the two women were particularly worried about it. It had been a long time since a Shihoin had fallen in battle, and while the Fon clan had a disastrously high attrition rate over time, Soi Fon had not raised **her** to be the kind of person to die needlessly, or at all. No, Soi Fon saw death as the ultimate and least acceptable dereliction of duty, and she would be damned if she raised her to be the kind of Shinigami that would just go and die like that.

Every Captain was required to be present on that day, with attendance optional amongst the Lieutenants, some of whom avoided it if they could, for it was an elaborate ceremony, steeped in millennia of Soul Society traditions, and thus deathly boring for many in the younger generation. And, predictably, Soi Fon loved every instance of it, while Yoruichi attended only out of love for her wife. Only on this year was Yoruichi finally willing and glad to attend the Induction Ceremony.

They filed through the ranks of lesser Shinigami, individuals chosen by poor luck of the draw to fill out seats, a practice that was kept well secret from the Captain Commander, who, although he was not particularly out-of-touch with the feelings of average Shinigami on many things, had no idea that next to no-one wanted to go to the Academy Induction. But they were indeed merely there to fill space, ignored by Captains and civilian onlookers alike, and merely obstacles for Yoruichi and Soi Fon to negotiate around as they pulled up to the dais at the front of the yard.

Once upon the dais they stood in numerical order, with the married couple firmly between the Captain Commander and Captain Rose, as the Captains and dignitaries turned to face the incoming rows of Academy Inductees, who marched in slowly, clad in the traditional Red for Academy students. Yoruichi's golden eyes roved over the marching rows before she spotted that special someone, then she elbowed Soi Fon sharply. Soi Fon twisted her head towards her wife, ever so slightly, all too aware of the Captain Commander to her immediate left, and she was rewarded with another elbow to her side. If sidelong looks could kill, Yoruichi's skin would have melted off her face.

And yet Soi Fon understood why Yoruichi was making such a scene: she was proud of that girl, that young woman. Somehow she was tall, nearly 5'8 and a clean 7 inches taller than the taller of her two mothers, even at the age of 16. She had pale brown skin, long black hair, her one mother's steel grey eyes, but her other mother's bust-size. She was the pride and joy of both of her mothers: Shunko Shihoin-Fon. She was the product of it all, of over a hundred years of romance, joy, despair, intrigue, awkwardness, and more than a good deal of sex: Shunko Shihoin-Fon.

Yoruichi scanned the crowd, finding one face in particular on the civilian side, hardly visible amongst the other lesser nobles. _So he made it_, she thought. He too had a role in all of this, another person who had helped raise Shunko, and who had a small part in the girl's naming, one of the only relatives the girl had who actually cared for her…

~~0000~~

"Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable," Kukaku swore. "You know, when I told you not to come running to me if you managed to get les-preggers, I wasn't tryin' to give you ideas."

Yoruichi smiled, thoroughly amused at her friend's consternation. "You said that years ago," she said. She was surprised she remembered, but then again you don't encounter such a neologism every day. "I got the idea from someone else."

"How didya even manage to… No, no," Kukaku hiccupped, "don't wanna know. What are ya gonna call it?"

"Her," Yoruichi corrected.

"How do you know it's a her?"

"Women only carry X chromosomes, so it has to be a girl."

"Wouldn't've thought of it that way," Kukaku said dismissively. "And what are you gonna call her?"

"Shunko," Yoruichi said.

Kukaku sighed exasperatedly, then took a long draught of sake. "Alright, which one of you came up with that? I need to find out who to smack."

"Soi Fon thinks it's cute," Yoruichi huffed.

"Soi Fon thinks all the dumb shit you do is cute," Kukaku replied. "That's why she married you. But Shunko? Seriously?"

"Seriously," Yoruichi replied. "It's more clever than it sounds. I am the Goddess of Flash, the Shunshin, and Soi Fon is practically at my level. Shunko can mean "flash-voice" or "flash-cry," but "ko" can also mean "child," at least when you're naming girls. So she'll be Shunko, the Child of Flash."

Demonstrating her prowess, Yoruichi invisibly dodged a drunken haymaker from Kukaku's wooden arm. "You shouldn't hit a pregnant woman," she chided.

"You know I'm too drunk to actually be able to hit you," Kukaku said. "But dammit, you deserve to be smacked for comin' up with that name. Now when are you due?"

"In about three weeks," Yoruichi said, and she looked the part. She wore an orange kimono, cinched above her swollen belly with a purple obi. Yoruichi had never been one for loose-fitting clothes, and her wife had never been one to laugh at her for any reason, but both taboos had been broken one day a few months ago. Yoruichi had been trying to put on her normal outfit, but ended up looking so ridiculous with her enlarged stomach that Soi Fon had actually laughed at her, prompting Yoruichi to seek alternatives. Kimonos such as the one she wore were made by tailors for pregnant noble-women, but were still more formal than what Yoruichi was comfortable with for day-wear. "Soi Fon's arranged about a month's leave of absence to help with the baby."

"Damn," Kukaku replied. "Ain't that a sign of the apocalypse or something? Next thing you know, I'll quit drinking." Both women laughed at that.

~00~

Yes, according to Unohana, the due date was about a month away. Ever since Yoruichi had started showing, she had been slowly going around and revealing the pregnancy to all her friends in Soul Society and the Living World. It was a satisfying timewaster, going around and shocking people with her strange, lurid story of conception via lesbian sex. It was also a necessary activity, for Soi Fon had been gradually restricting the degree to which she allowed her to work around the barracks as the months dragged on, and exploiting the shock-appeal of her peculiar condition was a fun way to keep cabin fever away.

For Yoruichi had spent her days either helping in recruit-training on the barracks, or wandering around as a cat, and while she had been slowly restricted from doing the former, she had been outright banned from doing the latter. Her lesbian pregnancy was entirely uncharted territory, and it was unknown what effect her feline transformation would have on it (or on any pregnancy, for that matter), whether it would alter the fetus, or completely destroy it, and so she had not transformed for eight months, the longest time she had gone without transforming since she had mastered the technique, oh so long ago.

Kukaku was the latest of her friends to fall victim to Yoruichi's brand of "fun," however, and as far as Yoruichi could tell, the last. Soi Fon had not liked the idea of Yoruichi going out into Rukongai on her own, but as far as Yoruichi could tell, her speed had not decreased, so she would be safe from any criminals, or even a Hollow attack. Kisuke had theorized that being attacked would not necessarily endanger the baby anyway, and that it would only be endangered if something drained her of spiritual energy, but she understood Soi Fon's concern. In any event, Yoruichi was left pondering what she would do for the last month, knowing that her wife would be consumed by an ever-growing anxiety that would guarantee that Yoruichi's freedom would be diminished, at least temporarily. And of course, she would be a mother three weeks after that, her life changed forever.

The prospect of motherhood did not daunt Yoruichi unduly, and she knew that Soi Fon too was approaching the imminent change with confidence. The idea that the time of birth was accurately foreordained had been soothing to the Captain of Squad Two, and she had found her confidence outward from there, carefully planning for the arrival of the baby and how she would spend her time off afterwards. Everything was laid out clean and neat, with no major conflicts on the horizon, and that combined with Yoruichi's entry into the last month of pregnancy meant that she was in for an egregiously boring month, at least until her water finally broke.

So it was that Yoruichi spent the evening trying to derive how she might defeat the looming three weeks of boredom. "So, anything fun happen today?" she asked. She was seated at the counter in their house's expansive kitchen.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Soi Fon said flatly. Her wife was preparing dinner; yakisoba stir-fry with mixed bits of seafood as the meat.

Yoruichi smiled, catching an odd note of coldness in Soi Fon's voice that meant something was up. "Come on, it's not like just hearing about your day is going to cause me stress," she said. "What happened? What's going on?"

"Nothing," Soi Fon insisted. "Please, drop it."

Yoruichi's grin broadened in spite of herself. Something was definitely going on, though if it truly was serious, then she shouldn't be smiling about it. With an effort, she suppressed her smile and surged ahead. "Even if you won't let me lift a finger, I'm going to help you, whether you like it or not," she said, in a tone that sounded like she was practicing for her coming role as a mother.

"Nothing happened," Soi Fon repeated, more softly this time. "I was just… thinking. About my father…"

Yoruichi arched an eyebrow, glad that Soi Fon's back was turned as she handled the skillet over the stove. _That_ was a new one. Soi Fon mentioning her family was an almost literal "once in a blue moon" affair, and even then, the only family member she had ever referenced more than once was her great-grandmother, her namesake, who had apparently had the largest role in raising her. Yoruichi knew full well the desire to avoid talking about one's family, so she had never prodded Soi Fon about her family history, which made this all the more unexpected.

"About your father?" she asked.

"Yes," Soi Fon said, taking the skillet off the stove and turning towards her. "I don't really know why. Maybe it has to do with the baby. I never really think about Father… or Mother, but lately I've been wondering."

"About becoming a father?" Yoruichi quipped. But she was thinking behind her glib remark. There had to be a better reason why Soi Fon was bringing up her family now of all times.

Soi Fon glared at her in turn. The "she's the father" jokes had gotten very old very fast. "I was just wondering how they did it," Soi Fon said. "What was it like for them? They never really talked to me or my brothers about how we were born. There was never time to talk."

"No family meals?" Yoruichi inquired, trying to get to the root of the matter.

"The Fon Clan lives to serve the Shihoin Clan via the Onmitsukido," Soi Fon said in response. "Family members of child-bearing age should not be wasted on child-rearing duties. Even my mother was no exception. She came from another clan subordinate to the Shihoin, one that was mostly extinct from attrition. I was the last child, and three weeks after I was born, she was off fighting again. She died not long after; killed in action. I was raised by my great-grandmother, who was given leave to train the Fon children by your father, but even then, it was a very professional upbringing."

Yoruichi bit her lip, feeling guilty that her family had caused such a situation to be. She knew that Soi Fon was the last of her siblings, that her brothers had perished not long after joining the Onmitsukido. She also knew that however bad her relationship with her parents had gotten, she at least had known them, had been raised by them, and had, at some point, been loved by them. "And your father?" she asked.

"He was crippled about a year after I started active service, after the deaths of my brothers," Soi Fon replied. "A poisonous Hollow wounded him, and its poison did irreparable damage to the muscles in one of his legs." Soi Fon knew better than most about how the 4th Division could usually undo things that would normally kill or permanently disable a Shinigami. "He survived, and he hated himself for it. To live without being able to fight; he saw it as the ultimate shame. He passed Clan leadership down to me and returned to live at the family compound, quietly, waiting for me to produce children so that he could raise them while I continued to serve."

"Alone?" Yoruichi asked.

"Yes. No-one is left, just me and 6 cousins, all of whom serve under me. Heading the clan is basically the same as heading the Onmitsukido."

"And that's why you're thinking of your father? Because you're finally having a child?"

"No!" Soi Fon said sharply. "I would never give our baby to… be raised like I was…" she said softer. "She's our daughter, and she'll know her parents, and know that we love her."

"Of course," Yoruichi affirmed. "But that doesn't mean she shouldn't know her grandparents. Or, at least one of her grandparents…" The Gods knew _her_ parents had tried hard enough to stop her from having this kid.

"That's not the problem," Soi Fon said. "I've seen Father maybe three times in the last hundred years. For all he knows about me, I'm still out to capture you."

"So he doesn't read the papers?" Yoruichi said with a grin.

"That's the problem," Soi Fon said. "I realized I was in love with you, married you, and conceived a child with you when he had no part of my life at all. Your family wasn't wrong when they said our marriage would doom the family line. What would he say about us? He gave his life to the Shihoin Clan, a group I have effectively doomed."

"_We_ doomed," Yoruichi said reassuringly. "And so what? You can't know what he thinks until you tell him. Even if we won't let him raise her, he might want to help."

"He chose to live alone," Soi Fon said. "With his shame."

"All the more reason to give him a chance to change," Yoruichi said. She honestly wanted to give Sio Fon's father a chance to escape his self-imposed misery, of course, but this whole thing sounded like something that could at least knock one day off her sentence of boredom. "It can't be any worse than that whole mess with my family before the wedding," she said. "And I'll be there for you, just like you were there for me," she added seriously.

"You just want to get out of the house," Soi Fon said flatly.

"Guilty," Yoruichi replied. "But I still think we should go try. It won't hurt Shunko to have more family, as long as they love her," she patted her stomach. "Do you wanna go tomorrow?"

"I'm free Friday," Soi Fon said, glaring at her wife who was getting her way yet again.

"Deal," Yoruichi said, smiling.

~00~

Friday dawned an idyllic autumn day, cool and crisp, with a brisk wind in the air and not a cloud in the sky. Yoruichi and Soi Fon walked slowly through Seireitei, taking their time for Yoruichi's benefit, for although her shunpo had not slowed, the extra weight she was carrying had decreased her walking speed. They walked with their dog, Kenichi, who pranced around eagerly, as far as his leash would allow. Kenichi was glad of the chance to get out of the house, as one of his mistresses was not allowed out of the house very often, while the other mistress had been very busy. The boredom was not worth the exchange for the fact that the black cat that had tormented him for the first 18 months of his life seemed to have disappeared in the past 9 months It was the first time in weeks that he had been taken off the barracks, and he was loving the opportunity.

"Did we really have to bring Kenichi?" Soi Fon asked. She was strong enough to keep a firm stance and an iron grip on the leash, but it did not stop Kenichi's eager scampering from being annoying.

"Look at how happy he is," Yoruichi said. "I'm not the only one who likes to get out of the house once in a while."

The two women made their way into a familiar corner of Seireitei, nigh to the vast Shihoin Manor. They skirted the perimeter of the Manor proper, glaring at passing Shihoin Guards, who in turn regarded their fallen princess coldly, but Yoruichi was not in the mood to fight with them, not when they had a job to do. It would puzzle her family, too, for the guards would surely report her appearance to the Council, and they would wonder why she was abroad so far into her pregnancy. Yoruichi smiled, knowing she would put one over on them.

They moved through a series of compounds, the homes of clans subordinate to the Shihoin, until they came upon one which looked forlorn and run-down amidst the others. Soi Fon's gaze seemed to harden as she approached that place; her childhood home, now long decayed and barely inhabited. Even Kenichi seemed to calm down, sympathetic to the feeling of forlorn nostalgia that crept over Soi Fon and the accompanying sense of concern that came to her wife.

The women stepped through the threshold, into a small, ill-kempt courtyard fronting a living quarters that seemed to resemble a barracks. With a pang, Yoruichi realized how little she knew about her Little Bee's upbringing, while Soi Fon had spent so long learning everything she could about her Yoruichi-sama's history. They went down a gravel path that bifurcated a weed-strewn lawn. There was a small shrine to one side of the path, and as Soi Fon passed it, she turned, bowed, and then proceeded back towards the barracks-house in one smooth, long-practiced motion. Yoruichi, stumbling behind, bowed with an awkward inclination of her head, her ability to bend at the waist now much-impaired. She then followed her wife into the house.

The difference between the outside and inside of the house was like night and day. The inside was meticulously cleaned, almost as impressively spotless as Shihoin Manor or how Soi Fon herself maintained their home. "It must run in the family," Yoruichi murmured softly.

"Who's there?" a voice came. Soi Fon shot a quick glare at Yoruichi, while Kenichi growled. A soft clunking sound could be heard, wood-on-wood, coming towards the house's entrance hall. In entered a man, perhaps one or two inches taller than Soi Fon, and in many other ways alike to her. Though Soi Fon had transitioned back to a hairstyle without braids since the wedding, the man's look was very reminiscent of her braided era, though he had only one long, thin braid of silver-black hair that hung behind his head. He was clothed simply, and noticeably was halt of foot, relying on a cane in his left arm to accommodate a long-crippled left leg.

"Father," Soi Fon said flatly.

"Shaolin," the man said. He had a surprisingly smooth voice, though like his daughter, his words were girt in steel. "It has been 38 years. What troubles you to visit me?"

"Father, I would like you to meet my wife, Yoruichi Shihoin. Yoruichi-sama, meet Xilai Fon."

"Yes, your marriage. That was a bold move, a display of personal loyalty and a chance at dismantling the Shihoin clan's hold over you. And I see you're enjoying the fruits of my daughter's loyalty, Lady Yoruichi. Who have you taken as a lover since my daughter freed you from the gilded cage? Ex-Captain Urahara?"

Yoruichi watched as Soi Fon's cheeks flared pink and could not help but chuckle, before remembering how hard this must be for her Little Bee, and then her expression hardened.

"I trust you have enjoyed the services of our clan," Xilai said.

"Definitely," Yoruichi said. "Though you got a few things wrong. We are in love, and your daughter's the one who did this to me," she said, patting her stomach.

"I see…" Xilai said slowly. Yoruichi had to hand it to him, for the amount of stress he must be under, his expression was unreadable, so unlike her family Council. "Is this true, Shaolin?"

"Yes, father."

"Then I have no issue with it," he said. Yoruichi arched an eyebrow, expecting almost anything else given Soi Fon's description of her strict upbringing. "We knew our line had ended when Shaolin became our last heir. We lack the influence or ability to adopt a male heir from another clan. Rather, another clan attached to the Shihoin would have taken her to wife, and so our name would have died. Even with her Captaincy, Shaolin would have had to forego the clan name. I would then offer my service in training the children of that union as Shaolin's dowry, along with our modest assets."

"If our clan is to be ended, there is no better way than to unite with the most honored Shihoin Clan, even in its twilight. You fulfilled your mission to honor and serve them to its fullest extent, Shaolin, and for that, our ancestors will be honored, even if history should condemn you for aiding in the fall of one of the great noble houses."

"Thank you, Master Fon," Yoruichi said, bowing. "But can we please sit down? My ankles are killing me."

"Oh, forgive me!" Xilai said. "There is no excuse for my breach of etiquette."

"No, I understand," Yoruichi assured. "It's not every day your daughter comes home to introduce her pregnant wife. But I am _very_ pregnant."

"Right this way," Xilai said, slowly leading them into the sitting room just within. Yoruichi glanced at Soi Fon, and her wife seemed emotionless as ever, which was odd. "Cheer up," Yoruichi said quietly. "This is going so much better than it did with my parents."

"Yes, I can imagine what you pictured coming here," Xilai said without turning. "Shaolin wove a tale of a bitter old man, crippled into uselessness and loneliness with the ghosts of his ancestors. Or… the reincarnations of his ancestors, or however it works here. That was true for a while," he said, as they reached a low table in the sitting room. He sat down slowly, then Soi Fon helped Yoruichi do the same. "But then I knew that if I was bound to live, I should live productively. Since then I've been training for the day I would receive another for training."

"Training?" Soi Fon asked.

"Yes, but I am being rude again. I must ask, what is the child to be called?"

"Shunko," Soi Fon replied.

"Fitting," Xilai said. "The Goddess of Flash and the woman who worked a century to try and beat her, together making the Child of Flash."

"Thank you!" Yoruichi said exasperatedly. "Finally somebody gets it."

"And what of her surname?"

Yoruichi and Soi Fon looked at one another for a moment. "Fon," Yoruichi said.

"Shihoin," Soi Fon replied.

"My family disowned me. I'm with you now."

"And I negotiated for you to keep your last name so that your heritage could live on," Soi Fon said.

"There's no reason your child shouldn't have your name," Yoruichi said.

"That's what I was going to say. The Shihoin name should survive, that was the point."

"Please, ladies," Xilai said, smiling. "The joining of two lineages on equal terms is the kind of event that merits the foundation of a great new clan, the establishment of a new lineage. The legacies should be reflected in her surname."

"Shihoin-Fon?" Yoruichi said.

"Something original, but reflective of what the two houses stand for," Xilai replied. "In elder days, it would be a momentous occasion, the launching of a new clan. But I suppose we do not live in those times. Shihoin-Fon will suffice, as a simple reminder of her roots."

"But still," Xilai continued. "Whatever her name, I would be honored to have a hand in my granddaughter's training."

"We are going to raise her," Soi Fon said coolly. "As far as we are able."

"I know, Shaolin," Xilai replied. "As I said, we are in a new age, and although your burden of Command is greater than mine ever was, you and she wish to be proper parents to your children. I cannot erase the fact that Shaomei and myself were never there for you, but I can try to amend it by being there for my granddaughter. You do want her trained, correct?"

"Correct," Soi Fon said, her sternness seeming to soften. "However she chooses to live, I want her to _live_. But how can you train her?"

"As I said, I live productively. Would you like a demonstration?"

"Sure," Soi Fon replied.

"Would you like to join us?" he asked Yoruichi.

"Oh yeah," Yoruichi said, "I'd like to see this."

Soi Fon shot her a vicious glare.

"I understand," Xilai said with a chuckle. "I would doubt me in your place."

So they made their way out to the courtyard, where Kenichi greeted them warmly. "Odd," Xilai remarked. "I was certain you weren't a dog person."

"He was a wedding gift…" Soi Fon said distantly. In that moment, she saw the sincerity of her father's goodwill and knew that, for the first time since Great-Grandmother had died, she had family again. "Now demonstrate your skill."

Xilai moved out into the yard, then stopped and dropped his cane. Without moving his feet, he made a broad series of punches in a range of movement that was incredible given that his legs remained perfectly still.

"A new style," Yoruichi commented.

"Indeed," Xilai said. "Not great on offense, but it's a formidable self-defense technique. I can drill your daughter in hand-to-hand combat and see that she excels in the art when the time comes."

"But all of your weight is on your good leg," Soi Fon observed. "it would be a simple thing to topple you."

"Give it a try," Xilai said with an arrogant smirk that gave Yoruichi all the proof she needed that he was his daughter's father.

Soi Fon leapt over her father, then dove towards the back of his vulnerable left leg, sweeping her leg low to knock him over. Quicker than the eye could track, Xilai dropped to his good knee and aimed a fist not at Soi Fon's leg, but at the same time aimed a fist at her head, forcing her to block and stop her attack. He then kicked forward with his good leg, forcing Soi Fon to stand to dodge and kicking himself back into a standing position as well. The two began sparring, with the younger Fon on the offensive, and the elder deflecting her neatly. Soi Fon wasn't really trying seriously, but nevertheless she was impressed with her father's prowess. They sparred thus for a time until…

"Augh!" Yoruichi gasped suddenly, doubling over as a tremor shook her body.

"Yoruichi-sama!" Soi Fon and Xilai said simultaneously.

"It's… the baby…" Yoruichi gasped. "It's… coming…" She breathed deeply, steadying herself.

"What?!" Soi Fon exclaimed. "It's not due!"

"Well, it's here," Yoruichi said, mastering herself. "My water just broke."

"You have a midwife?" Xilai asked.

"A doctor," Soi Fon replied. "Captain Unohana."

"The 4th division? That's far from here."

"We would have been closer if someone could just stick to the schedule," Soi Fon growled.

"Don't blame me-hee!" Yoruichi said as she convulsed anew. "Shunko's the one in charge here."

"We'll make it," Soi Fon said, as much to herself as to any other. "We'll make it," she repeated, coming back to reality and looking at their dog. "But…"

"Leave him to me," Xilai said. "I'll get him back to the second division. Go now."

"Thank you, father," Soi Fon said, placing an arm on his shoulder, then drawing him into a quick hug, the moment punctuated by Yoruichi's heavy breathing. "Let's go!" she said, rushing over and picking her wife up bridal-style. They flickered, and were gone.

Soon enough, Yoruichi was laid out on a table in a room in the 4th division infirmary. She lay in the ready position for delivery, with her legs wide apart and the bottom of her kimono opened up.

"I don't understand," Soi Fon said, sounding panicky. "It was supposed to be three weeks from now. Three. Weeks!"

"It will be all right," Captain Unohana said. "It's no longer considered a premature birth starting at 37 weeks, so the baby should be fine."

"That's not the problem. It's too soon! This isn't when this was supposed to happen!" Soi Fon panicked.

"Aren't you the one who likes to be ready for the unexpected?" Yoruichi said from the table.

"But…" Soi Fon began uncertainly.

"Soi Fon, come here." Soi Fon went over to the table, looking down at Yoruichi. "It's going to be all right," she said, reaching out and taking Soi Fon's hand in her own. "We've come this far, right? This is nothing."

"Y… you're right…" Soi Fon said, giving Yoruichi's hand a squeeze. "But we'll see if you're still saying that in a few hours."

"I'm sure I'll be fi-hahn!" Yoruichi convulsed.

"She won't have to go through labor," Unohana said as she cleaned her hands in a sink. "In the last hundred years, midwives in the Soul Society developed a technique for avoiding that laborious process."

Soi Fon shot a glance at Unohana's back, arching an eyebrow. Yoruichi gave her a sympathetic look. Was that supposed to be a joke?

"I have never attempted it before," Unohana continued, turning around. "But it is a fairly basic labor acceleration procedure."

"What do you mean you've never attempted it before?!" Soi Fon barked.

"Enlisted Shinigami or their spouses rarely have babies," Unohana said. "I have not delivered a baby since the new technique was devised. I trust you will let me do it."

"An experimental procedure you've never tried before?!"

"I trust you will let me do it," Unohana said, smiling as she hooded her eyes.

"S-sure…" Soi Fon said, shivering.

"Isane, please apply the field."

"Right," Isane said, the tall Lieutenant stepping over to Yoruichi. She pressed her hands together, and energy began to glow between them. She slowly pulled her hands apart, and a faintly glowing field remained, then she pressed her hands onto both sides of Yoruichi's engorged stomach, about a foot apart.

"Hold steady, Isane," Unohana said. She stood in front of Yoruichi, who was again panting. Unohana extended one hand, and it glowed with a white coating of reiatsu, then she slowly began to stroke her hand downward across Yoruichi's stomach.

"A-augh!" Yoruichi screamed.

"Just relax," Isane said. "It's coming. She's accelerating the process."

Yoruichi screamed again. "Almost there," Unohana said, as she continued stroking her stomach with one hand. "Just a few more pushes." She stroked a few more times, and suddenly high-pitched cries were heard. "There we go," Unohana said, reaching into the folds of Yoruichi's opened kimono and withdrawing a red, naked, screaming mass.

"The process separates the baby from the umbilical cord, which will emerge later with the placenta," Unohana said, though neither Yoruichi nor Soi Fon really cared. Isane handed a towel to Soi Fon, who reverently took the baby from Unohana, hugging it to her gently, as its screams began to abate. She took it over to Yoruichi, who was breathing heavily, winded as she had lost the energy she would have expended across the whole of the delivery all at once.

"Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fon said softly. "Here she is."

Yoruichi took the little baby from Soi Fon. Her daughter, their daughter, the sum of all of their efforts, all of their romance, the whole struggle of well over a century. "Shunko," she said, as the baby at last quieted and Yoruichi cradled it in her arms.

~00~

The following years seemed to go quickly, with the child of the strange marriage springing up like bamboo. Shunko Shihoin-Fon was a willful child, absorbing the stern resolve of the Fon mother and the spontaneous tendencies of the Shihoin mother, producing a girl who impulsively injected herself into various crazy schemes, and once she had gotten herself into a mess, she often refused to back down until it was solved.

She grew up well-loved by most, though she was disliked by others for her aggravating persistence. Her grandfather, Xilai, was there helping her training in the basics from the age of five on ahead. Kisuke Urahara, who insisted on being called "Uncle," much to Soi Fon's chagrin, gave the girl a curiosity for science and research, which she carried back to the Soul Society, leading to a series of incidents when she was eight years old, when she had an abiding passion for breaking into the Research and Development Society. Often Soi Fon or Yoruichi would be interrupted midday through their work by Lieutenant or Captain Kurotsuchi, bearing a struggling Shunko with them, extracted from somewhere deep within the bowels of the Squad Twelve barracks.

Shunko grew out of that fascination with science, however, quickly learning that science was, at its foundation, much more boring than the fruit of its results, and that things like the cloned Nemu who also helped in raising her were the results of months of diligent research, and weren't just "invented" on a daily basis. Both Yoruichi and Soi Fon were inclined to be glad about that, fearing that their daughter would grow up to work under Captain Kurotsuchi. Instead, as Shunko grew into adolescence, she developed a crush on Byakuya Kuchiki that equally amused Yoruichi and annoyed Soi Fon to no end. Yoruichi quietly encouraged it, as it gave her license to harass the head of the Kuchiki Clan, a favorite amusement of hers.

From her grandfather, she learned his unique style of martial arts, distinct from the high-speed style utilized by her mothers. Under Xilai's tutelage, she became a terror on self-defense, solid as a rock and able to deflect most anything. It helped distinguish her from her parents, for although she learned shunpo like most Shinigami, her style was distinct from the Onmitsukido style, focused on defense and more deliberate, heavier hits. It was thus that she grew apart from the Onmitsukido heritage she had been raised in, but was still a prodigal fighter in her own right.

Shunko loved the other members of the house she grew up in as well. Although Nemu could not return her feelings of love, Shunko loved having her around, and tried to make sure that she wasn't taken advantage of by her mothers. Shunko especially loved Kenichi, and so she was proportionately saddened when Kenichi at last died of old age when she was 14.

So it was that her youth was not perfect, but still Shunko Shihoin-Fon was the pride of both of her mothers, who loved her for who she was and who she had grown into, a prodigal fighter able to pass the Shinigami Academy entrance exam at the age of 16

~~0000~~

The induction ceremony began, and Yoruichi nudged her wife. Soi Fon shook, all too aware of the Captain-Commander who stood just to her left, but Yoruichi's nudging persisted, until finally Soi Fon acknowledged her, following Yoruichi's line of sight to the one who stood in the crowd. Soi Fon's iron-grey eyes caught the elderly man, her father, from whom she had been so long estranged, who had come to witness their daughter's rite of passage. Soi Fon's eyes watered, and she broke form, reaching out to take her wife's hand in her own.

So much was communicated in that simple gesture, for this was their moment as much as it was their daughter's. To see her here, mostly-grown and making her transition into adulthood was the greatest joy the mothers could feel. That moment, standing there, holding hands before a convocation of Captains, notable Soul Society individuals, was the culmination of all of their struggles, of the four week courtship and all of the little things that had followed, the little milestones that had bound them closer and closer together through their love.

This was not the end, of course, for although Shunko was grown and would now be leaving them, they still had long life together, and in that moment they understood that as well. This victory was only the beginning of a new phase, a long life of love that lay before them, as they would fulfill their duties as Shinigami and their love for one another for as long as they would be able. Soi Fon's hand tightened over Yoruichi's, then she twisted towards her, quite unexpectedly, taking her in an embrace and a kiss, a silent promise of their love which would endure.

"Ahem," a gravelly voice came from their left, as old man Yamamoto regarded them coldly.

Soi Fon immediately disengaged, blushing, and Yoruichi let her go.

There would be plenty of time for _that_ later.

End.

Author's Note: _So that's it. More than likely the end of YoruSoi for me, for although my unemployment persists, I feel as though my free time is slipping away through my fingers. In this case, I wanted to explain Soi Fon's family history a bit, so it's as much about that as it is about their daughter. I didn't have time to wedge in any more UnoIsa subtext, either, sadly. Show your appreciation (or not) and review! _


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